A 13-year-old boy has been shot dead during clashes with the Israeli military, a Palestinian hospital official has said.

The doctor spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to deal with the media.

He said the teenager was killed by a bullet to the chest in clashes at Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.

The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

Earlier on Monday, an 18-year-old Palestinian was killed in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem.

Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have grown in recent days, prompting Israeli police to stop some Palestinians from entering the Old City.

Police say they took the unprecedented step to try to prevent further violence.

In the latest attack, just before dawn on Sunday, a Palestinian teenager knifed a 15-year-old Israeli before being shot dead by police.

Hours earlier another Palestinian teenager stabbed to death two Israelis and wounded a woman and a young child.