Palestinian dies in Gaza explosion

A Palestinian teenager died in a mysterious explosion in Gaza City tonight.

The blast went off inside an apartment in a 12 storey building next to the Shati refugee camp on the Gaza beach, killing Louai Abu Hamdeh, 17, and seriously wounding his mother and nine-year-old brother.

There was no damage visible outside the building, ruling out an Israeli air strike, though Israeli warplanes had been circling for several hours.

Residents and security officials said the blast was apparently caused by either the premature detonation of a bomb or accidental explosion of a cooking gas cylinder.