HAMAS FOUNDER DIES AFTER ‘ACCIDENTALLY’ SHOOTING HIMSELF: A senior member of the Hamas terrorist organization has died, a Hamas spokesman said on 30 Jan. 2018, three weeks after he suffered what the terror organization claimed was an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head. Hamas sources said that on 9 Jan. 2018, Imad al-Alami, one of the movement’s most senior officials, was critically wounded when his personal firearm accidentally discharged. Al-Alami, 61, was "inspecting his personal weapon in his home and is in critical condition,” said the spokesman. The Hamas leader was rushed to a Gaza City hospital, where he later succumbed to his wounds. Outlawed by the USA in 2003 for his position in Hamas, al-Alami was considered one of the Gaza terror group’s most important assets, due to his extensive ties with the Iranian government – a major sponsor of Hamas – and his personal relationship with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, himself a client of the Tehran regime. In November, 2016, al-Alami was selected as Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s designated successor. The shooting incident fueled a variety of conspiracy theories within the Palestinian Authority, ranging from claims al-Alami was assassinated, to suggestions he may have committed suicide following years of health problems. (INN)