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A terror group leader is believed to have accidentally shot himself to death in the head.

Imad al-Alami, one of the founders of Hamas - a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organisation - died in a hospital in Gaza three weeks after the incident.

Hundreds turned out for his funeral which was held earlier today.

Mourners can be seen carrying al-Alami's body through the streets, with most of his head completely concealed by sheets, and only his facial features on show.

The BBC reported that al-Alami was shot in the head on January 9, with the terror group’s spokesman Fawzi Barhoum saying he had accidentally discharged his weapon while cleaning it.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Al-Alami was said to be in a coma and in 'critical condition' since the incident, which occurred at his home in Gaza City.

But a cloud of mystery surrounds the shooting after his death was confirmed this morning, according to the Times of Israel .

Exact details have not been released by the group, prompting some to speculate whether al-Alami had been assassinated, had taken his own life, or indeed, if it was an accident.

It's believed al-Alami was in his 60s, and was also known as Abu Hamam, one of the founders of Hamas.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

He was the group's main leader in Tehran, Iran, for many years, before moving to Damascus in 2008.

In 2012, at the start of the Syrian Civil War, he left Damascus - and was said to be one of the last to do so - to return to Gaza.

He was then elected as deputy leader of Hamas, serving in this role until his death.

Reports in 2014 suggested al-Alami, a mechanical engineer by trade, was seriously injured after an elevator collapsed in an underground shaft where members of the group were hiding.

Other accounts claimed he was injured by gunfire.