Israeli forces will maintain their presence in the Jenin refugee camp following a large-scale raid launched last week, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday. The crackdown in the West Bank has now entered its second week.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the army will maintain a presence in Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank after its ongoing military operation there.

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

As Israel withdraws some of its troops from Gaza during a cease-fire there, it has turned attention to another Palestinian territory — in particular a city with a history of militant activity.

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.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi by phone on Friday, China's foreign ministry said, the first call between the two top diplomats since President Donald Trump's administration took office on Monday.

At least 10 people have been killed in the raids, and more than 40 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Dozens have been arrested, Palestinian officials told the Wafa news agency.

The city of Jenin, a Palestinian militant stronghold in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has become a new front for Israel days after it reached a ceasefire deal with Hamas that suspended a 15-month-old war in Gaza.

The Jenin refugee camp, a crowded township built for descendants of Palestinians who fled their homes or were driven out in the 1948 Middle East war around the creation of the sta

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.