Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Hamas blamed Israel for an apparent assassination attempt on Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah shortly after he entered Gaza for the inauguration of a wastewater treatment plant.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office initially announced that it held Hamas responsible for the Tuesday morning attack, which it said “directly serves the interest of the Israeli occupation, the main beneficiary from the division” of the West Bank under PA rule and Gaza under Hamas rule.

Later on Tuesday, Hamdallah spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and agreed that Israel and its collaborators were responsible for the attack, Haaretz reported.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Hamdallah and PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj were not injured in the explosion, which wounded several others. Three cars in the convoy also were damaged. The visit to Gaza was planned five months ago, according to Haaretz.

Hamdallah said the incident would not prevent him from pursuing unity and reconciliation with Hamas. “I will return to Gaza despite what happened today and I call on Hamas to allow the government to effectively control the Gaza Strip. What happened today will not stop us from continuing reconciliation efforts,” he said. He also said: “We will not allow those with a foreign political agenda to dictate to us what happens in Gaza.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make your Passover gift today!

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount