A Palestinian was killed and five others wounded in a house blast Wednesday morning in Gaza City, security sources and hospital officials said.

Hussein Ashour, director of Gaza's al-Shifa hospital, said a burnt body and five wounded people were brought to the hospital.

Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman of deposed Hamas Interior Ministry, said the police started an investigation into the explosion that rocked the house of Sheikh Ali al-Ghefari, an Islamic Salafi leader.

However, al-Ghussein said he did not rule out that gas cylinders stored in the basement of the building might have caused the blast.

Both the medical and police sources refused to reveal the identity of the victims.

(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2010)