Kate Burton
Photo: Reuters
Gazans demand release of Brits
Photo: AFP
Gaza: Search for kidnapped Brits continues
British human rights activist Kate Burton and her visiting parents kidnapped by gunmen near Rafah crossing Wednesday; Palestinian Authority officials, opposition groups, all condemn kidnapping, saying it is detrimental to the Palestinians’ image
The search continues for 25-year-old British human rights activist Kate Burton and her parents, who were kidnapped by gunmen near the Rafah crossing in Gaza on Wednesday.
Palestinian Authority officials, as well as the various opposition groups, all condemned the kidnapping, calling it an “embarrassment” that is detrimental to the Palestinians’ image throughout the world.
Several dozen Palestinians protested in Gaza, demanding the immediate release of the three Britons.
Witnesses said the three were shoved into a Mercedes, which then headed north while being chased local security forces.
Palestinian police set up roadblocks in south Gaza as part of the effort to retrieve the kidnapped family.
As opposed to previous kidnapping incidents in Gaza, which usually end within a span of a few hours, the Brits have been held hostage for more than a day now, a fact that concerns PA officials despite an Interior Ministry statement claiming that the identity of the kidnappers is known and that that they belong to a “weak” organization.
A number of incidents in which foreigners have been kidnapped took place in the Strip in recent months; in most cases the kidnappers demanded ransom, jobs in the Palestinian security forces or the release of their relatives from PA jails.
The motive for the recent kidnapping is not clear.
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.
