Senior Hamas official dies in 'accidental' shooting

A senior Hamas official has died, three weeks after allegedly accidentally shooting himself while cleaning his weapon in Gaza. 

Spokesperson Haem Qassem said on Tuesday that Imad al-Alami had been unconscious since the shooting took place January 9.

Initial reports by Hamas' official media had reported Alami had died of natural causes, before the statement released by Hamas describing the incident as an "accident".

Hamas: The leader Imad al-Alami lined up his days full of giving and sacrifice in his path of resistance for the sake of his religion, country, people and cause. 

Fawzy Barhoum, the spokesperson for Hamas, said in a statement that Alami, a former member of the party’s highest political body, was wounded while "inspecting his personal weapon in his home and is in critical condition."

Alami was hospitalised in Gaza City and in critical condition.

The 62-year-old was a senior figure in the Palestinian party, and was exiled in 1994 by Israel.

Alami spent the majority of his time in Syria before returning to Gaza in 2012 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.