Hamas military commander shot dead in Gaza

Senior figure in group's military wing killed along with son, says spokesman

Hamas militants take part in an anti-Israel rally in Gaza City. Reuters

A senior militant commander in the Gaza Strip was killed on Thursday afternoon in a shooting in the north of the enclave, a spokesman for the militant group has said.

Ayman Mansour, also known as Abu Attiyah, was a senior figure in the Al Qassem Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the group that rules the Palestinian territory. His son was also reportedly killed in the attack.

Iyad Al Bazm, a spokesman for the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security, said the group's forces had entered a house near the site of the shooting and discovered the attacker dead at the scene.

Hamas authorities say investigations are ongoing, and have called on Gazans to avoid spreading rumours about the killing.

“We call on citizens to accept the official account issued by the Ministry of the Interior about the incident of the martyrdom of the resistance leader Ayman Mansour and his son, and not to circulate rumours,” read the group's statement, posted on Palestinian social media.

The news comes following an escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank this week, involving Palestinian militants, the Israeli army and Jewish settlers.