Fatah forces tortured Hamas inmate to death, Islamist group says

A Hamas prisoner who committed suicide while in custody of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces in the West Bank had been tortured, the Islamist group said on Monday.

Palestinian security officials said 28-year-old Fadi Hamadne - the fourth Hamas prisoner to die in a Fatah-controlled jail in the West Bank since the group wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah faction in 2007 - hung himself in his cell.

Nablus governor Jamal Al-Muhaisen told Reuters that Hamadne was jailed for being a member of Hamas's armed wing.

Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh called the death "unfortunate and deplorable" and said it could jeopardize Egyptian-mediated reconciliation efforts.

The rival factions, whose power struggle has split the Palestinian territories in two with Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip and Fatah remaining dominant in the West Bank, have exchanged accusations over political arrests and torture.

News of the death sparked scuffles between Hamadne's family members and security forces outside the prison, witnesses said. No injuries were reported.