The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned on Friday the kidnapping of the French journalist, Mohammad Wadouhi, by unknown gunmen in the Gaza strip few days ago, Palestine News Network (PNN) reported.
Hamas said kidnapping internationals tremendously harms the Palestinian people, demanding the Palestinian Authority to work hard to ensure a quick release for Wadouhi and to provide protection to all international workers in the Palestinian territories.
Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman of Hamas said in a protest organized by the Journalist on Thursday that ‘Our people are paying the price of such crimes. For whose interest some foreign organizations, [like the International Red Cross] close their offices and stop its services? Who benefits from the French official threat to stop the French People’s aid to Palestine?’
He accused those who kidnapped the journalists of intentionally willing to harm the Palestinians.
Abu Zuhri said that Hamas takes this issue very seriously especially that the victim is a guest.
‘We in Hamas affirm that any attack against foreigners triggers red lights, because they are guests, and we should protect them and respect them so they can accomplish their humanitarian role and to allow the journalists fulfill their duty which will help the Palestinian people,’ Abu Zuhri said.
Following the abduction of Wadouhi, the Palestinian Minister of Interior Nasser Yousef instructed the Palestinian security forces to act to find and release him.
Wadouhi, originally from Algiers, works for the French TV channel three as an audio technician, was kidnapped by some gunmen with a civilian car, in Gaza city Sunday, around midnight.
The Union of Palestinian Journalists condemned the kidnapping of the journalist and demanded his captives to immediately release him, describing the act as cowardly and irresponsible, which contradicts with the Arab traditions.’
The union also said that that those who kidnapped the journalist must be punished asserting that protecting journalists should be a priority.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has earlier instructed all the security forces to provide protection for the international workers in all Palestinian areas, after some kidnapping incidents that took place in the Gaza Strip in the last couple of months.
