3 Britons kidnapped in Gaza
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped three foreigners, apparently U.K. citizens in southern Gaza Strip; no immediate claim of responsibility
Several gunmen have kidnapped three Britons in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, local security sources and witnesses said.
Witnesses said Wednesday that gunmen snatched a woman, her father and mother, and bundled them into a white Mercedes near the border with Egypt.
The identities of the trio were not immediately clear although local security sources said they were all British.
The security sources said they were searching the area for the gunmen and the trio.
Palestinian police said the kidnappers' car was spotted heading north, and that a pursuit was under way.
The incident was the latest in a series of abductions in Gaza that has undermined Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' attempts to establish order in the coastal strip following Israel's withdrawal this summer.
Last Wednesday, the Dutch principal of the prestigious American School and his Australian deputy were kidnapped in the northern Gaza Strip but released within hours.
In most cases, the kidnappers were seeking jobs in the Palestinian security forces, the release of imprisoned relatives or other personal matters. Abbas’ critics have accused him of giving in to kidnappers’ demands, thereby encouraging more abductions.
Frank McGinley, a duty officer with the British consulate general in Jerusalem, said his country was investigating the report but had no further comment.
