Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the West Bank city of Ramallah Wednesday, medical sources and witnesses said.

Mohammed Mubarak, in his 20s, was hit with at least three gunshots in his body, said Talal Abu Eida, an ambulance staff.

He said that the ambulance is trying to reach the scene, which is outside an Israeli settlement near Ramallah, to evacuate the dead body.

Israeli media reports said the man was about to shoot at an Israeli army patrol. Soldiers fired at the man immediately.

Shootings in the West Bank and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians have been on the rise since the American-brokered peace talks between the two sides started last July.

Thirty-five Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since the negotiations were resumed.