Gunmen opened fire at a convoy carrying the deputy Palestinian intelligence chief close to the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, wounding him the chest, Palestinian medical officials said.

Tareq Abu Rajab's car flipped over after the shooting, the officials said. He was rushed to a hospital and was undergoing surgery, the officials said.

Sources said that Rajab was seriously wounded in the attack. One of his entourage was killed and three others were wounded.

A Palestinian ambulance transported Rajab to the Erez crossing, from where a Magen David Adom ambulance was to take him to a hospital in the center of the country. Due to his condition, it was decided that he be taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

Rajab is second-in-command to Amin al-Hindi, whose intelligence agency has recently taken a stance critical of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the attack, or whether it was the result of a personal dispute or was politically-motivated.