Palestinian police frees kidnapped UN employees

In a new indicator on the increase of security loss in the Palestinian territories, the Palestinian police on Monday freed three employees working for UNRWA, just few hours after an armed group kidnapped them in Khan Younis camp in Gaza.

The Palestinian police on Monday broke into the shelter where the kidnappers were hiding with their hostages, and freed the hostages and chased the kidnappers who were able to escape.

Witnesses said that an armed clash took place between the kidnappers who are believed to be from Fatah movement and members of the Palestinian security, and this resulted in wounding one passerby in his leg.

Gunmen had originally intercepted a UN car in the camp and kidnapped its occupants: the Swiss Steven Carl, the British Christine Blunt and one unidentified Palestinian.

Following the incident, a security spokesman said that the director of the preventive security in Khan Yunis apologized on behalf of the Palestinian people to the UN employees, vowing to protect UN employees.

This came following the detention of the director of the press office for the secretary of the central committee of the Fatah movement in Khan Yunis, Suleiman al-Farra on Sunday.