PALESTINIAN PM ESCAPES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The Palestinian Authority’s premier escaped an apparent assassination attempt Tuesday in the Gaza Strip when a bomb struck his convoy on a mission to bolster reconciliation efforts with the territory’s Hamas rulers.

The roadside device exploded as Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and intelligence chief Majed Faraj entered Gaza in a motorcade after passing through the Erez crossing from Israel.

The assault came hours before a White House conference on trying to rescue Gaza from economic chaos.

Both officials survived unscathed and went ahead with a ceremony to open a waste-water treatment plant in Gaza. There was no claim of responsibility, but the Palestinian Authority held Hamas accountable.