A radical Muslim group "Warriors of God" on Monday said it works to appoint a new leader after its late Imam was killed in clashes with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"We are now waiting our new Emir," the group said in a statement

Moreover, the group vowed to target the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers in retaliation for the killing of their leader and some followers in recent clashes.

The threat came in the statement the group posted on its website which was inactive during Friday fighting between Hamas security forces and Abdul Latif Mussa, the extremist Imam who announced an al-Qaida-style Islamic emirate in southern Gaza Stripin defiance of Hamas.

At least 24 people, including Mussa and six Hamas officers, have been killed in the gun battles that took place in Rafah city where borders Egypt.

"We will revenge your blood and will widow your (Hamas) women in the same way you widowed our holy fighters' women," the statement said.

The Muslim group, that sometimes calls itself "Army of God followers," rejected Hamas' accusations that it was behind a series of attacks that targeted internet cafes and wedding parties over the past months.

In one of the many justifications for the fighting, Hamas said the group's leader had accused its government and the rest of Gazans of infidelity.

The statement also criticized Hamas for participating in the parliamentary elections and lauding the Western principles of democracy.