A Palestinian teenager who drove his car into an Israeli security checkpoint in the occupied West Bank was shot dead Monday by a security guard at the scene, officials said. 

The car-ramming occurred after 1:00 am at the Te'enim checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Tulkarem, an Israeli defence ministry statement said, adding that the assailant had been "neutralised".

It was not immediately clear if the alleged attacker was killed, but the official Palestinian news agency Wafa later reported that 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Yunes died from injuries after being fired on at a checkpoint. 

An Israeli security official confirmed to AFP that the driver of the vehicle was killed. 

The defence ministry said that a security guard was "seriously injured" in the attack. Israel's Sheba hospital said the guard's injuries were not life threatening. 

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and the Palestinian territory is now home to roughly 475,000 Jewish settlers living in communities widely considered illegal under international law. 

Attacks on checkpoints are common, often carried out by individual Palestinians armed with knives, as well as attempted car-rammings and occasional shootings. 

Monday's incident came after a Palestinian assailant stabbed an Israeli civilian and attempted to attack police on Saturday near the Damascus Gate entry to the Old City in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

The assailant was shot dead by officers who appeared to fire on the suspect after he was on the ground, stirring debate about excessive force. 

Israeli authorities have insisted the officers acted appropriately.