Special Reports: Palestine-Israel Conflicts >>
A member of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement died on Monday in a prison run by security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, the movement said.
Hamas and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian National Authority (PNA) issued conflicting statements over the reason behind the death of Fadi Hamadna, 28.
Brigadier General Adnan al-Dumiri, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said Hamadna has committed suicide at his solitary cell in al-Jenid prison in Nablus.
"The security officers have found out that he had wrapped bedcovers round his neck," al-Dumiri said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Hamas said Hamadna had passed away due to "brutal torture" at the hands of the general intelligence interrogators. In a statement, Hamas said Hamadna has been imprisoned for two months.
But al-Dumiri said interrogation was over 10 days after the detention of Hamadna in June.
Hamadna's relatives threw rocks at the security forces in front of the prison, and they scuffled with each other, witnesses said.
Since Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized control of Gaza in 2007, Fatah has launched a crackdown against Hamas members and activists in the West Bank in retaliation.
The mutual arrests the two sides exchange have hindered Egypt's efforts to reconcile the two movements under a unified government.