IDF bolsters forces in West Bank as Palestinian prisoners to return there under hostage deal
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The IDF is bolstering its troops in the West Bank with seven additional companies, according to a military source, ahead of the hostage deal with Hamas during which Israel will release Palestinian prisoners, many of them to the West Bank.
The military says IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment this evening focusing on the army’s preparations in the West Bank and southern Israel.
Halevi instructed to bolster troops in the West Bank, with an emphasis on “counter-terrorism efforts through offensive operations and enhanced defensive measures in communities and on main routes, particularly concerning the release of prisoners.”
Halevi also “approved the Southern Command’s defensive plans in accordance with the agreements determined by the political echelon.”