GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ? Dozens of gunmen stormed the home of deposed Gaza security chief Moussa Arafat before dawn today and shot him dead, witnesses said.

Arafat, 65, a cousin of the late leader, Yasser Arafat, was fired earlier this year by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It was not immediately clear who the gunmen were.

Moussa Arafat was linked to corruption charges and had many powerful enemies, and it was thought that his killing was related to internal conflicts.

The gunmen fired at his house in Gaza City and fired rocket-propelled grenades, then stormed the house, killing Arafat and kidnapping his oldest son, Manhal, who is a senior security official, the witnesses said.