Ramallah, Dec 22 (IANS): A Palestinian driver was killed by Israeli soldiers at an army checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, said Palestinian and Israeli sources.

Official Palestinian sources said that Israeli soldiers on Tuesday opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle at an Israeli military checkpoint southwest of Jenin, adding that the car caught fire with the driver inside, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian driver, who reportedly tried to carry out a car-ramming attack against a number of Israeli soldiers standing near the checkpoint.

No injuries were reported among the soldiers, according to the statement.

Palestinian social media activists published photos and video clips showing flames coming from the burned car.

In Gaza, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) welcomed the car-ramming attack near Jenin.

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that the attack was "a response to the Israeli prison services' practices against Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli jails."

On Monday, Palestine condemned the Israeli military's decision to allow soldiers to directly open fire at Palestinian stone throwers in the West Bank even after they run away.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement that "the decision serves as a green light to commit more field executions against the Palestinians, according to the whims, moods, and assessments of the Israeli soldiers."