A prominent Fatah gunman who had once bragged about executing Hamas fighters and torching homes of rivals was killed in fighting in Gaza on Thursday, Hamas said. The gunman, Samih Madhoun, was one of the leaders of a 1,500-strong force that had been set up several months ago as a counterweight to Hamas. Madhoun recently said in an interview on a pro-Fatah radio station that he had killed several Hamas fighters execution-style and torched the homes of others. The details of how he was killed were not immediately clear. However, earlier in the day, a prominent Hamas preacher had issued a religious edict, or fatwa, saying Hamas was entitled to kill Madhoun.