The Israel Defense Forces insisted it was “not forcing the Palestinians to evacuate,” but said it had “allowed residents of the camp to evacuate … through an organized and secured point.”

Israeli troops will remain in the Palestinians' Jenin refugee camp once the large-scale raid they launched last week is complete, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday as a crackdown in the occupied West Bank extended into a second week.

The Israeli military will keep a presence in Jenin following the current military operation in the northern West Bank city considered a stronghold of Palestinian militants, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

The Israeli army has reportedly said that its 'Iron Wall' operation in Jenin which has left 17 Palestinians dead, may last several months.

At least 10 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank, Palestinian authorities said on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it targeted a group of armed men with an aircraft in the West Bank town of Tamun but did not provide further details.

In the days since a fragile ceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip, Israel has launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank and suspected Jewish settlers have rampaged through two Palestinian towns.