Relatives of the Hamas terrorist, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, have declared that they will attempt to block the release of an Israeli film which is based on his assassination in Dubai.

Ahmed al-Mabhouh, a cousin of al-Mabhouh, said that the family would consider legal action if necessary in order to prevent the film from being released.

He has argued that the film distorts the image of his cousin and the nature of events surrounding his assassination in a Dubai hotel in 2010.

It has been widely assumed that the Israeli Mossad was responsible for Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's death, despite the spy agency neither confirming nor denying involvement in the assassination.

A younger brother, Faik al-Mabhouh, told Haaretz that "the film attempts to slander my brother's name, turning him from a freedom fighter into a womaniser".

The film, he complained, portrayed his brother "in such a way that insults him and his struggle for the freedom and independence of the Palestinian people".

Micha Scharfstein, the film 's producer, has dismissed the attacks. He said: "Mabhouh, from our point of view, was a murderer with blood on his hands, and I don't see any reason not to do a movie about it".