GAZA -- Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Mahmoud Abbas escaped an apparent assassination attempt Sunday in Gaza, al-Jazeera reported.
The Qatar-based news channel said bullets were fired as Abbas entered a large tent set up in Gaza for mourners of the late Yasser Arafat.
Initial reports said two Palestinian security agents died in the shooting.
However, Palestinian officials immediately denied it was an assassination attempt against Abbas, who took the helm of the PLO to replace Arafat, who died Thursday.
The former chief of the Palestinian security services, Mohammad Dahlan, also denied there was an assassination attempt against Abbas, saying he was in the tent at the time and the gunfire was exchanged between two armed groups.
However, the Jerusalem Post said eyewitnesses reported a group of Fatah gunmen arrived at the scene, chanting slogans against Abbas and Dahian, condemning them as traitors.
The Post said the gunmen then shouted "Abbas and Dahian are agents for the Americans" and opened fire.
