Freed Brit: Captors treated us well

Human rights activist Kate Burton kidnapped in Gaza Strip with her parents says following release she could not say bad word about kidnappers; says she hopes to continue work in Gaza

Ynet |Last update: 12.31.05 , 14:51

We were treated well by our captors and I hope to continue my human rights work in Gaza, British human rights activist Kate Burton, 24, told the BBC Saturday morning after she was released Friday evening with her parents, 73-year-old Hugh and 55-year-old Helen, two and a half days after they were abducted in the southern Gaza Strip.

The family was transferred to the British Consulate in Jerusalem, and later issued a statement saying that "we are glad that these last few days are over and we would like to express our gratitude to the Palestinian Authority, the British Government and all groups and individuals in Gaza and worldwide who have been supporting us and working around the clock to secure our release."

"The incident was just one in the context of a severely increasing state of insecurity in the Gaza Strip, and Kate remains committed and passionate about working alongside the Palestinians to improve their external image and alleviate the difficult conditions being suffered by the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip," the statement added.

A short while after the family members were freed, a group called The Mujahadeen Brigades released a video saying it seized the three Brits to demand British and European pressure on Israel and freed them as a gesture of goodwill.

Kate Burton told the BBC the family had been moved three times in two days by their captors, who remained masked throughout.

She added that she could not say a bad word about her captors, who always asked whether they needed anything.

She said that her parents were "tired" and spoke of her sadness that her parents had had such a "desperate experience" during their visit to Gaza.

Extended family 'overjoyed'

The Burtons' extended family in the UK said they were "overjoyed" to hear they were safe.

"We thank everyone who has worked so tirelessly towards this moment, especially Kate's colleagues and friends in Gaza who kept all our hopes up throughout this ordeal," they said.

"We do not forget the wider situation in Gaza, but right now we are looking forward to being together as a family very soon," they added.

Kate's parents, residents of Newbury in Berkshire, arrived in Gaza to visit their daughter, who works at the al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights as an "international coordinator." They were kidnapped on Wednesday around 4:00 p.m., when they were shoved into a whit Mercedes in the Rafah area.

The fact that Burton's abduction lasted more than two days, contrary to previous kidnappings in Gaza, caused a lot of concern both in the Palestinian Authority and in Britain. PA officials and various opposition groups condemned the kidnapping, calling it an “embarrassment” detrimental to the Palestinians’ image throughout the world.

Several dozen Palestinians protested in Gaza, demanding the immediate release of the three Britons.