RAMALLAH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was shot dead late on Thursday night by Israeli soldiers' gunfire north of the West Bank town of al-Beereh, close to Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority health ministry announced.

The health ministry said in a press statement that Ahmad Abbassi, 21, was killed by Israeli soldiers' gunfire near the Israeli settlement of Beit Al north of Ramallah in the West Bank.

The statement said the man "had been shot dead by Israeli soldiers in cold blood," adding that Abbassi was a resident of the neighborhood of Ras el-Amoud in east Jerusalem.

However, the Israeli army said in a statement that a car stormed an Israeli army checkpoint in the area of Ramallah, and the soldiers at the checkpoint opened fire on the car and killed its driver.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli media said that unknown militants opened fire near the settlement of Ofra east of Ramallah, adding that no injuries were reported.

Palestinian eyewitnesses said that, after the shooting attack, the Israeli army shut down all the roads that lead to the towns and the villages in the area of eastern Ramallah and prevented traffic from entering the area.

Since early December, the Israeli army had shot and killed seven Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.