The main suspect in the assassination attempt against Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah died on Thursday from wounds he sustained during a battle with Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip.
Another gunman and two security officers were also killed in the shootout, a security official said.
Hamdallah survived a March 13 roadside bombing against his convoy as he was visiting Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas.
An AFP correspondent saw the bodies of two security force members at the hospital and a senior police officer at the scene also confirmed the deaths on condition of anonymity.
A clash had erupted earlier in the day in Nuseirat in central Gaza as Hamas security forces engaged in a manhunt for the suspect.
Dozens of new checkpoints were also erected throughout the Palestinian enclave and armed security forces were searching cars, an AFP correspondent said.
Hamas had declared a $5,000 reward for anyone giving information about the suspect’s whereabouts. It provided no immediate details on his alleged motive or of an affiliation to any armed group.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday blamed Hamas for the assassination attempt. His remarks threatened reconciliation efforts to end a decade-old rift between his Fatah faction and Hamas.
Abbas, who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has offered no evidence of the involvement of Hamas in the attempt against Hamdallah’s life. But he said he did not trust Hamas to investigate the incident honestly and that there had been “zero” progress in the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation.
Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to Fatah in 2007.
