The explosions tore through the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

Three U.S. Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

"The IDF destroyed a short time ago a number of buildings in Jenin used as terrorist infrastructure," Israel's military said in a statement.

Israel has stepped up its operations in the West Bank in recent weeks, since the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect.

The sudden expansion of Israeli security operations in the West Bank has killed at least 10 people and follows the start of the delicate ceasefire process in Gaza, by which Israeli hostages are released in stages and will also see the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The action came a day after President Donald Trump said he will lift sanctions on ultranationalist Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian villages.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had killed at least 50 militants during more than two weeks of operations in the occupied West Bank."As part of the operation to thwart terrorism... the IDF (military) recently destroyed several buildings in Jenin,

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 military killed at least seven Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as the prime minister announced the start of a “large-scale military operation” in the restive city of Jenin.

The United Nations secretary-general has warned that Israel might seize the opportunity to annex the occupied West Bank.

Throngs of people eagerly waited on Thursday for more than 100 Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israel in exchange for hostages held in Gaza.