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.

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians and wounded 66 others Thursday in various parts of the occupied West Bank.

Two Palestinians were killed in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces, according to Palestinian reports on Thursday. The Israeli army meanwhile said that one soldier was killed and another seriously injured during an operation in the city.

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 Palestinian health ministry said an Israeli drone strike in a village in the occupied West Bank killed at least 10 people on Wednesday, while the military said it had struck an "armed cell".

At least 10 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank, Palestinian authorities said on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it targeted a group of armed men with an aircraft in the West Bank town of Tamun but did not provide further details.

Israel says its increased military raids are aimed at combating rising Palestinian militant attacks against Israelis, including shootings. View on euronews