Gaza chaos: Italian abducted, U.N. club bombed
Masked gunmen kidnap another foreigner, as Gaza chaos continues; earlier, gunmen briefly take over U.N. club in Strip
Gaza Strip mess: Less than a week after three British nationals were kidnapped in Gaza, an Italian national was abducted in Khan Younis, according to a Reuters report. However, an Italian parliament member later said the man was freed, Reuters reported.
According to the report, masked gunmen shoved the woman, who is apparently a journalist, into a white vehicle, prompting Palestinian security authorities to initiate a search for the vehicle using the car's license plate number, as reported by eyewitnesses.
The Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades reportedly claimed responsibly for the abduction, although another faction in the organization denied involvement.
Earlier Sunday, armed Palestinians briefly seized the United Nations club in Gaza City, throwing two explosive devices.
The officials said five armed men tied up the guard at the building before throwing the explosives. The guard was hit with a weapon and injured. He was taken to a Gaza hospital for treatment.
The building was damaged by the blasts. Plaster from the ceiling littered the floor of the seaside building. The U.N. club is known as the only place in Gaza City where alcohol is served, but it was closed when the attack took place around 2 a.m. Only foreigners are allowed inside.
One of the explosives damaged the bar of the seaside building and broke many of the liquor bottles. A flag from the U.N. Refugee agency UNRWA flies over the building. A U.N. Security official, who refused to give his name, said the club has been in operation for 15 years, but this is the first time such an incident has happened. Islamic fundamentalists object to sale and consumption of liquor, but it was not immediately known who the attackers were.
Gaza has been hit by an increasing wave of lawlessness in recent months, with armed gangs storming government buildings and election offices as well as kidnapping foreigners and shooting at each other in the streets.
