A Spanish photographer working for the Associated Press who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday has been released by his captors.
Emilio Morenatti had been apprehended by a group of men and forced into a car when he stepped out of his Gaza apartment on Tuesday. He was, however, released shortly thereafter.
"The photographer was released by the kidnappers and handed over to Palestinian security agents," said Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a Palestinian spokesman.
The kidnapping was condemned by several groups, including both Fatah and Hamas. Chief Palestinian negotiator and confidant of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Saeb Erekat said that such a kidnapping "harms Palestinian interests.”
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government, condemned the kidnapping, saying that it “damages the reputation of the Palestinian people."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also condemned the kidnapping, saying that it" contradicts our culture and our morals and our religion." The exact demands of the kidnappers remain unclear.
