los angeles (ap) | Madonna says she has canceled three Israeli stops on her “Re-Invention’ tour because of violence in the region, including the killing of the leader of the militant group Hamas.

Madonna, who kicked off her worldwide tour in Los Angeles on Monday, May 24, told “Access Hollywood’ that her manager wouldn’t let her travel to Israel because of the “attack on the leader of Hamas.’

“It’s not a good idea to go there and do concerts,’ she told the syndicated entertainment TV show in an interview.

London tabloids had reported that the singer backed out of the Israeli stops, scheduled for September, after an unidentified Palestinian terror group threatened her and her children, Lourdes, 7, and Rocco, 3.

Asked by Access Hollywood if she had been threatened, she replied: “If I had my way, I’d go. My manager wouldn’t let me.’