The Israeli military withdrew its troops from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, ending an intense two-day operation that killed at least 13 Palestinians.
The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in Jenin in an operation that included a series of airstrikes and hundreds of ground troops.
The army said a soldier was killed in fighting late Tuesday, but gave no further details.
Just after midnight, residents in Jenin said the army had left the area, and people began returning to the streets.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the West Bank operation, one of the most intense in the territory in nearly two decades, was nearing its end. But he vowed to carry out similar offensives in the future.
“At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off,” he said.
As the pullout was getting underway, the Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike targeting a militant cell located in a cemetery. It said the gunmen threatened forces moving out of the camp. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Israeli and Palestinian officials also reported fighting near a hospital in Jenin late Tuesday. An Associated Press reporter on the ground could hear explosions and the sound of gunfire.
Palestinian hospital officials told the official Wafa news agency that three civilians were hit by Israeli fire.
Israel struck the camp early Monday in an operation it said was aimed at destroying and confiscating weapons. Palestinian health officials said 13 Palestinians had been killed and dozens wounded.
Big military bulldozers tore through alleyways, leaving heavy damage to roads and buildings, and thousands of residents fled the camp. People said electricity and water were knocked out.
