GAZA CITY (AFP) – A Palestinian militant was killed in an explosion at a training camp run by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Monday, medics and the Islamist movement said.

Another fighter was seriously wounded in the blast near the southern town of Khan Yunis, according to Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services.

Hamas said the man was killed during a "jihad mission," a phrase often used for accidental explosions.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007 after driving out forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a week of bloody street battles.