Ramallah, Jun 19 (IANS): A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Palestinian liaison office reported that Nabil Ghanim was killed after Israeli soldiers shot him near the security fence close to the city, according to a press statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that a Palestinian tried to sabotage the security fence between the city of Qalqilya and Israel, adding that Israeli soldiers had first opened warning gunshots, and then hit him when he didn't respond, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesman clarified that the Palestinian man was critically wounded and was transferred to an Israeli hospital, but succumbed to his wounds.

Palestinian local sources said that Ghanim is a Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Nablus and was trying to enter Israel for work there.

Shaher Saad, secretary-general of the Palestine Trade Union Federation, accused the Israeli army of adopting a new approach of targeting Palestinian workers near the separation wall in the West Bank.

The Israeli government practices "murder and violence against the Palestinians, including workers, to win votes in any upcoming elections," he condemned, adding that the union will follow up all attacks against workers in all international forums.

The worker's killing came two days after three Palestinian men were killed by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring recently, as the Israeli army launched repeated incursions into the West Bank in response to attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets bombed military facilities belonging to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket firing at southern Israel, according to Hamas security sources.