The Israeli military on Monday said it had "eliminated over 15 terrorists" and arrested 40 wanted people during a major raid that began last week in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
The raid began two days after a truce took hold in the Gaza Strip.
The military said in a statement that during the Jenin operation troops seized dozens of weapons and "located an explosive device hidden inside a washing machine in one of the buildings in Jenin".
Soldiers "also dismantled dozens of explosives planted beneath roads intended to attack troops", it said.
During another operation, "an observation command centre was located, containing gas canisters intended for manufacturing explosive devices", it said.
Backed by bulldozers and warplanes, the military launched last Tuesday its "Iron Wall" operation in Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp, militant strongholds frequently targeted in Israeli raids.
Salim al-Saadi, a member of the Jenin camp's management committee, told AFP that 80 percent of its residents had fled since the raid began.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on its website that more than 24,000 refugees were registered in the camp in 2023, though the actual population is not known.
AFP pictures on Thursday showed rows of women, men and children filing out of the camp, some of them carrying their belongings in bags, accompanied by Palestine Red Crescent ambulances.
A number of Palestinian officials reported that Israel had ordered residents to leave the camp, but the military denied this.
The Palestinian health ministry had earlier reported that the Israeli operation killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured 40 more around Jenin.
With AFP
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