Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian motorcyclist today at a roadblock near a West Bank refugee camp, Palestinian security and medical officials said.
An Israeli military source said soldiers shot the man in the leg after he turned his motorcycle around and tried to drive away from the spot-checkpoint near Askar refugee camp outside Nablus, ignoring shouts to stop and warning shots.
Doctors at Rafadiyeh Hospital in Nablus said Mohammed Shukri Hamad (23) was shot in the chest and died.
The Israeli military source said soldiers who administered first aid to Hamad at the scene of the shooting found only a minor leg wound and were able to converse with him before arranging for a Palestinian taxi to take him to hospital.
"We don't know what happened (after he was evacuated)," the source added. He said Hamad was unarmed.
Israel, battling a three-year-old Palestinian uprising, says roadblocks and other travel restrictions on Palestinians are necessary to stop suicide bombers from reaching its cities. Palestinians and human rights groups call the measures collective punishment.