Israeli officials confirm Tel Aviv bombing was a terrorist attack, Hamas claims responsibility

Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility Monday for a bombing the day before in Tel Aviv that killed the apparent attacker and wounded a bystander and that Israeli officials confirmed was a terrorist attack.

The bomb appeared to go off before it was intended, and the presumed attacker was shown in security footage walking down the street wearing a large backpack just before the explosion, according to the Associated Press. Israeli media quoted police officials as saying the intended target was a nearby synagogue.

In a statement Monday, Hamas’ militant wing said it and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s militant wing were responsible for the blast.

Al-Qassam Brigades, in cooperation with Saraya Al-Quds, announced "the execution of a martyrdom operation that took place last night, Sunday, in the city of ‘Tel Aviv.’"

The groups threatened "martyrdom operations within the occupied territories will return to the forefront as long as the massacres by the occupation, the displacement of civilians, and the assassination policy continue."

Reuters reported that was a reference to Israel's offensive in Gaza and the July 31 killing of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in Tehran that was blamed on Israel.

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The Israeli police spokesperson’s unit and the Shin Bet spokesperson’s unit released a joint statement of their own confirming the large explosion that detonated the night before in Tel Aviv was a "terror attack."

Since Sunday night, Tel Aviv District police officers, officers from the police bomb disposal unit, and forensic investigators, in collaboration with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), "have been working at the scene