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Hamas judge killed in Gaza Strip | Hamas judge killed in Gaza Strip |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A prominent member of the Palestinian militant Islamic movement Hamas, Bassam al-Fara, has been killed in the southern Gaza Strip. | |
Mr Fara, who was also a judge, was shot while on his way to a courthouse where he worked in the town of Khan Younis. | |
The armed wing of Hamas says the killing was the work of gunmen linked to its rival, Fatah. | |
Tensions have been growing between Hamas and Fatah in the past few days, says a BBC correspondent in Gaza. | |
Mr Fara was approached by gunmen and killed early on Wednesday. | |
As well as being a judge, he was a Hamas military commander. | |
Fatah spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa rejected Hamas' accusations that his group was behind the attack. | |
"The brothers in Hamas must be accurate and not fire accusations before the investigation," he said. | |
Tensions | |
Relations between the two factions are always strained, but the tension has increased significantly in recent days following an attack on a senior Fatah security official, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza. | |
He was not in the vehicle, but three of his children were and they all died in the gunfire. | He was not in the vehicle, but three of his children were and they all died in the gunfire. |
Some in Fatah have openly accused Hamas of being behind that attack, but Hamas has denied this. | Some in Fatah have openly accused Hamas of being behind that attack, but Hamas has denied this. |
On Tuesday, supporters on both sides exchanged gunfire in the Gaza Strip, wounding at least four people. |