Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip have backtracked on their claim of responsibility for a deadly attack on a Jerusalem rabbinical seminary that killed eight Israelis.
Ibrahim Daher, head of Hamas' al-Aqsa radio, said his station put out an earlier claim of responsibility prematurely, based on confused information.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, confirmed the group was not taking credit for the attack -- at least yet.
"There may be a later announcement ... But we don't claim this honour yet," he said.
The attacker walked through the seminary's main gate and entered the library, where witnesses said some 80 students were gathered. He carried an assault rifle and pistol, and used both weapons in the attack, police said. He was later was shot dead by an Israeli soldier. Rescue workers said nine people were wounded, three seriously.
The attacker was Alaa Abu Dheim, a 25-year-old from the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabel Mukaber, according to his family, who set up a mourning tent outside their home and hung green Hamas flags along with one yellow flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Hamas announcement came as thousands of mourners marched in funeral processions for the dead students, Israel slapped a closure on the West Bank and an Israeli official indicated that fledgling peace talks with the Palestinians would go on despite the violence.
Israel will push ahead with talks "so as not to punish moderate Palestinians for actions by people who are not just our enemies but theirs as well," an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Mahmoud Abbas, the moderate Palestinian president with whom Israel is negotiating a peace agreement has condemned the attack.
The attack was the second crisis to hit the fragile talks. Earlier Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suspended negotiations because of a spike in violence in the Gaza Strip, but later backed down under pressure from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was in the region to push the talks forward.
