Gunmen kill Hamas leader in West Bank

Witnesses say three masked men have shot and killed a Hamas leader as he left a mosque in the West Bank, a day after gunmen from a rival Palestinian faction threatened to kill senior Hamas members.

Witnesses say the gunmen in the village of Hableh jumped out of a vehicle and shot Mohammed Odeh, 37, as he left the mosque after dawn prayers. They then sped off.

Fatah officials in the nearby town of Qalqilya denied involvement and blamed Israel. Local Hamas officials said they did not know who was behind the shooting.

Witnesses say the vehicle had Israeli licence plates. Cars with such plates are not uncommon in some major Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military denied involvement.

Ambulance workers say Mr Odeh, described as a local leader of Hamas, died on the way to hospital.

The shooting occurred a day after the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed faction of Fatah, threatened in a statement to kill senior Hamas leaders.

Azzam al-Ahmad, head of the Fatah bloc in Parliament, said the statement was fabricated.

An Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades spokesman in Gaza had confirmed the statement's authenticity.

-Reuters