GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The head of a main Fatah-linked security force was killed Wednesday by a car bomb in Gaza city, security officials said. Nabil Hodhod, commander of the elite Preventive Security, was killed and his deputy wounded in the blast near Shifa Hospital in central Gaza City.

Gaza has been hit by violent conflicts between Hamas forces and rivals from Fatah in recent weeks. Hodhod is an ally of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the head of Fatah.