Hamas official in Gaza dies three weeks after unexplained shooting

Imad Al Alami was unconscious since January 9 when he accidentally shot and critically injured himself, according to the group

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 23, 1999 shows Hamas member, Imad al-Alami, talking to journalists at a press conference held in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Alami, a senior Hamas figure, was shot in the head in Gaza and hospitalised in critical condition on January 9, 2018 in what officials said was an accident. Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhoum said in a statement Imad al-Alami, a former member of Hamas's highest political body, was shot while "inspecting his personal weapon in his home and is in critical condition".
/ AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH BARRAK

Senior Hamas official Imad Al Alami is seen here on September 23, 1999, talking to journalists at a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Palestinian movement said on Tuesday that he had died. Joseph Barrak / AFP

Associated Press

Jan 30, 2018

Hamas said on Tuesday that one of its senior officials had died, three weeks after accidentally shooting himself while cleaning his weapon in Gaza.

Spokesman Hazem Qassem said Imad Al Alami had been unconscious since the January 9 shooting.

Following the incident, Hamas hastily announced that Al Alami had died of natural causes but later said he had shot himself while checking a firearm at his Gaza City home and was critically injured.

The 62-year-old held several key posts as a member of Hamas' policy-making body and lived in Syria before returning to Gaza in 2012. He remained a prominent official although not a member of the politburo.

After Israel's 2014 war on Gaza, Al Alami travelled to Turkey for treatment for an injury in which he lost a leg. Hamas said he was wounded in the war.

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