A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was among five killed in Israeli airstrikes on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says, as a large-scale Israeli military operation there looks set to continue for a third week.

According to Reuters, asked whether a teenage boy had been killed in an airstrike, the Israeli military insisted the air force had struck “armed terrorists” in the Jenin area, declining further comment.

The Palestinian health ministry later said four others had been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Jenin area. The Israeli military said in a statement the air force had struck a vehicle “with terrorists inside” in the area of Jenin’s Qabatiya.

At least 18 Palestinians, including six members of armed groups and a two-year-old girl, have been killed in Jenin and nearby villages during the operation, according to Palestinian officials.