Days after the Gaza ceasefire took hold, the Israeli military launched its largest offensive in years in the occupied West Bank, displacing tens of thousands.

The raid took place as Israel’s military said it had expanded its operation to crack down on militants in the city of Jenin.

Israeli forces killed a Hamas commander in the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday as they pushed ahead with a weeks-long operation against militant groups in the area that has sent tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes.

Dubbed “Iron Wall” by the Israeli military, the operation in the northern West Bank began days after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, a separate Palestinian territory. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its troops carry out regular raids there.

Armed clashes between Israeli forces, Palestinian fighters, along with sounds of explosions reported in Jenin's eastern neighborhood - Anadolu Ajansı

Israel's pro-settler politicians have been emboldened by the return to the White House of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israel's military told Reuters the works were for security and to allow it to patrol the area following the killing of an Israeli civilian in August near the village by a man from another town. It did not detail what it was building there.

Israel's far-right finance minister, a leading advocate of annexation, is meeting with Trump administration officials this week.