DAMASCUS, Syria – A Hamas terrorist survived a bombing yesterday that destroyed his vehicle on a Damascus street shortly after he and his family stepped out, the Palestinian Arab terrorist group said.

Hamas and the Syrian government blamed Israeli intelligence agents for the 3:45 p.m. explosion that slightly injured three passers-by and shattered the windows of several nearby apartments. The interior minister, Ghazi Kenaan, said a bomb placed under the seat of the vehicle exploded minutes after the Palestinian Arab driver, his wife, and daughter stepped out.

“The party behind this collaborates with the Israeli Mossad, or is the Mossad itself,” he said on Syrian TV, referring to the Israeli intelligence agency.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’s deputy political bureau leader, said the vehicle belonged to a Palestinian Arab member of Hamas. He would not give his name or position in the movement.

Asked whether Israel was behind the attack, Abu Marzouk replied: “You can say that.”

A senior Israeli official said he knew nothing of the incident but noted that Syria always blames Israel for acts on its territory.

Israeli security officials did claim responsibility for a September 26 car bombing in Damascus that killed Hamas leader Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil and wounded three bystanders. That attack came more than three weeks after twin suicide bombings in southern Israel that killed 16 Israelis.

Hamas, whose top political leaders have their headquarters in Damascus, has carried out numerous suicide bombings and killed hundreds of Israelis. In addition to Hamas, other terrorist and radical Palestinian Arab groups have set up headquarters in Damascus. Syria is also home to 450,000 Palestinian Arab refugees.

Separately, Israel’s defense minister said yesterday that Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestinian Arab areas for 72 hours during next month’s Palestinian presidential election, signaling that a deadly attack on an Israeli army outpost hasn’t stopped fledgling peace efforts.

The defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, also presented a sweeping case for coordinating Israel’s planned pullout from the Gaza Strip next summer with the Palestinian Arab leadership. He said broader withdrawals from Palestinian Arab areas could be possible well ahead of the Gaza pullout and a successful arrangement could form the basis of an interim peace deal.

Mr. Mofaz’s comments at an academic conference in the seaside town of Herzliya represented a marked departure from Israel’s initial insistence that the Gaza pullout be carried out unilaterally.

Prime Minister Sharon refused to negotiate with Palestinian Arab leader Yasser Arafat, accusing him of supporting violence. But since Arafat’s death on November 11, Israel has cautiously welcomed the moderate interim Palestinian Arab leader, Mahmoud Abbas.

While it didn’t derail peace moves, Sunday’s attack on an Israeli outpost in Gaza that killed five soldiers and wounded five others strained the new atmosphere of goodwill.

The bombing by Hamas and gunmen with ties to the ruling Fatah movement was seen as a challenge to Mr. Abbas, who has been trying to persuade terrorists to halt attacks on Israelis ahead of the January 9 election to replace Arafat as head of the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli leaders said yesterday that the new Palestinian Arab leadership is not doing enough to restrain terrorists and warned that Israel’s patience is wearing thin. “By now, we don’t see any change,” Mr. Sharon said.

Still, Israel’s initial response to the outpost attack was relatively muted. Helicopters fired five missiles at suspected weapons workshops in Gaza City, causing no injuries.

Military leaders said Israel will continue to strike at terrorists until the Palestinian Arab administration takes action. “We have no choice but to act ourselves,” the military chief, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, said at a briefing in Gaza.

The Palestinian election is emerging as an important test for both sides. Israel has promised to let the vote proceed smoothly, while Mr. Abbas, who is the clear front-runner, is seeking a halt in violence.