Israeli soldiers opened fire at a Palestinian taxi at a spot roadblock in the West Bank Saturday, killing a woman passenger.

An Israeli military source said soldiers fired at the vehicle, hitting the woman, after it broke through the roadblock near the city of Nablus and its driver ignored warning shots from troops who gave chase for about a kilometer (half a mile).

Palestinian medics and witnesses said Kamleh al-Shooli, 20, and other seven passengers from the village of Asira al-Shamaleya had been on their way to Nablus before sunrise to avoid early Israeli patrols in the area.

She died immediately after being hit by two bullets to the chest, the medics said.

"The driver was detained and taken for questioning," the military source said. "The incident is under investigation by field commanders. We are trying to figure out what they were thinking when they burst through the roadblock."

Israel maintains that roadblocks are vital to stop suicide bombers who have killed hundreds of Israelis since the start of a Palestinian uprising in September 2000. Palestinians and human rights group call such measures collective punishment.

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