ISRAELI soldiers have been accused of “cold-blooded murder” after they shot dead an unarmed Palestinian man and wounded another in the occupied West Bank today.

Ibrahim Mustafa Abu received a bullet to the neck while entering the village of Kifl Hares west of the city of Salfit and was pronounced dead soon after arrival in hospital, the Ministry of Health said.

Mohammad Abdessalam Asaad was shot in the foot and received treatment at Salfit Public Hospital.

The Israeli Defence Force claimed they opened fire on the young men because they were throwing petrol bombs at them.

But Mayor of Kifl Hares Isam Abu Yaaqoub insisted that the occupying forces shot the pair despite them posing no threat to life.

Governor of Salfit Abdullah Kmail held Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for this “crime.”

He said that the culture of impunity for Israeli soldiers encouraged the “cold-blooded murder of Palestinian civilians.”

The killing of Iyad Hallak, a 32-year-old autistic man who was shot dead by Israeli police in Jerusalem while lying on the ground in May, sparked widespread condemnation.

But authorities have been accused of a potential cover-up after it appeared that there was no video footage presented to the investigation into his killing despite a report from Haaretz detailing at least 10 CCTV cameras in the vicinity.

Tensions have escalated in the West Bank ahead of Israeli plans to annex whole swathes of Palestinian territory in the occupied territories, which is home to around 2.5 million Palestinians.

The move has been branded illegal by the UN and condemned by the international community.