Zionist soldiers shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.

Zionist soldiers shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a Palestinian medical source said.

Residents of the Deheishe refugee camp in Bethlehem said Palestinians threw stones at occupation soldiers who had entered the area and the troops opened fire.

A Zionist military spokeswoman claimed that Palestinians hurled rocks at the troops and wounded one soldier.

"The force, feeling imminent danger to their lives, responded with fire toward an instigator," she added.

A Palestinian hospital official identified the killed young man as 20-year-old Jihad al-Jaafari.

The occupation military frequently responds to Palestinian stones by live ammunition, under the pretext of death threats.

The Zionist authorities remain in charge of the West Bank, allowing the Palestinians limited self-rule in certain areas, including the major urban centers.

U.S.-brokered peace talks between the sides broke down in April. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has since stepped up unilateral moves at the United Nations towards a Palestinian statehood.