Hamas freed three Israeli and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday, and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process in anger at the swarming crowds at one of the hostage handover points.

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.

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, is to be released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Zakaria Zubeidi, whose mother and brother were killed by Israeli troops, is a symbol of resistance to some Palestinians. A man who generates extraordinarily varied responses, he was mobbed by supporters on his release from prison.

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 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.

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 Israeli army on Monday continued its offensive in the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp for the seventh day. Witnesses said the Israeli army was still cordoning off the refugee camp from all directions, and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters along with sounds of explosions were reported.

IDF fighters on the ground in Jenin reported to the defense minister that they found a lot of arms stashed away by terrorists, 'just like in Gaza'

UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese condemned what she called Israel’s “death machinery” and its attacks on Jenin. “If it is not forced to ...

But just three days into the agreement, Israel announced the start of a “major counter-terrorism” operation in northern parts of the occupied West Bank. The focus is Jenin and its refugee camp ...

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.