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Kidnappers identified

— PHOTO: AFP

BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Gaza City: The Hamas-led Palestinian government on Tuesday said it had identified the kidnappers of a BBC journalist and hopes to free him soon. BBC television correspondent Alan Johnston was kidnapped on Monday from his car by four masked gunmen in Gaza City. The abduction was the latest in a string of kidnappings of foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip. Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said the kidnapping hurt the Palestinian cause. ``The kidnappers have no nationalism, they want a cheap reward,'' he said. ``They are well-known, and we hope he Mr. Johnston] will be found today.'' Mr. Hamad spoke at a protest in front of the BBC office, where 30 Palestinian reporters called for the journalist's quick release. The protesters held up signs, and some taped their mouths shut as they criticised the Government for not immediately condemning the kidnapping. — AP

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