Israeli troops killed a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The ministry did not give any details as to the circumstances of the killing, stating only that "a civilian was killed by Israeli forces" after being shot in the neck at Kifl Hares, a village south of Nablus.

Provincial governor Abdullah Kamil named the victim as Ibrahim Moustapha Abou Yacoub, 29.

The Israeli military, contacted by AFP, said that "two assailants were throwing Molotov cocktails at IDF (the Israel Defence Forces) guard posts".

"Troops responded with fire,” an army spokesman added.

The army confirmed that the incident had taken place near Nablus but did not give any death toll.

The West Bank is a Palestinian territory which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.