Gunmen have ambushed the commander of the Palestinian intelligence service in the Gaza Strip, wounding him, killing two bodyguards and fuelling fears of spreading chaos.
Brigadier-General Tareq Abu Rajab was acting head of the General Intelligence Service since its head resigned last month amid unprecedented Palestinian unrest over demands for anti-corruption reform.
Mr Rajab, 58, was close to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, but was not widely seen as taking sides in a power struggle that pits younger leaders - who say they want change - against an old guard accused of graft and failing to win a state.
The tussle for control has been triggered by Israel's plan to withdraw troops and settlers next year from the territory it has occupied since the 1967 war.
Gunmen fired from two moving cars as Abu Rajab drove to his office in Gaza City, security sources said. Then they peeled off in different directions in what looked like a carefully plotted attack.
Two of Abu Rajab's bodyguards were killed and another wounded. Medics said the commander was in serious condition and undergoing surgery.
The attack on Abu Rajab came just before a Palestinian parliamentary committee was due to present a report expected to call for urgent reforms, to help end the worst internal unrest since Palestinians gained a measure of self-rule a decade ago.
Israel's army said it was checking the report of the attack on Abu Rajab. While it has frequently assassinated Gaza militant leaders in airstrikes, it has never killed such a senior Palestinian security chief.