Palestinian killed in Gaza car bomb

A young Palestinian man was killed and two others wounded when the car he was driving in Gaza exploded on Wednesday, medics said.

Ayman al-Sharafa, 22-years-old, died from injuries sustained in the blast several hours later in hospital, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run government in Gaza, told Ma'an news agency.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, with Israel denying involvement.

An Israeli spokesperson said it was "not related to any IDF activity."

The blast, which took place before dawn, hit an SUV in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of western Gaza City.

Sharafa was a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.

Israel has been known in the past for targeted assassinations of Palestinian fighters and leaders, but no accusation has yet been levied against the Jewish state by Hamas authorities.

(Al-Akhbar, Ma'an, AFP)