*** Hamas militant dies in Gaza after 'accidental explosion' | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Hamas militant dies in Gaza after 'accidental explosion'

A Palestinian affiliated with Hamas died on Sunday after apparently blowing himself up by accident in unclear circumstances, medical and security sources said.

The body of 25-year-old Amir Hamad al-Zaharani was brought to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early on Sunday after an apparent explosion, a medical source said.

Three others wounded by shrapnel were being treated, he added.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Islamist movement Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip, confirmed in a statement that Zaharani was a member.

The group said Zaharani, who came from Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza, died "as a result of an error with a weapon".

A security source in Gaza told AFP that according to preliminary information the death was caused by an "accidental explosion" of a rocket-propelled grenade.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist organisation by the European Union and many Western nations. The group, along with other Palestinian militants in Gaza, has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

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