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Middle East
Foreigners advised to leave Gaza
Fear of more kidnappings grow as news photographer remains missing.
Last Modified: 03 Jan 2007 14:38 GMT
 Jaime Razuri was abducted by a group of masked 
men  on Monday [AFP]

Palestinian security officials have advised foreign nationals to leave Gaza due to kidnap threats two days after Jaime Razuri, a photographer, was snatched by unknown  armed men.
 
Security officials said they have advised American and European nationals to leave because of a threat of further abductions.
"We've had warnings of kidnapping operations and have asked American and European nationals to leave Gaza," a security source said.
 
Razuri, a Peruvian national working for AFP, was abducted from the centre of Gaza City by unknown men as he returned from an assignment on Monday.
Another security source said that the advice was in part directed at expatriate employees of UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
 
But UNRWA said it had no plans to withdraw its foreign nationals.
 

"Christar Nordahl, deputy director in Gaza, confirmed receiving a general advice from Palestinian preventive security about a general kidnap threat,"  Johan Eriksson, UNRWA spokesman, said.

  

"In our view, this doesn't change the situation from what it has been in the past two years ... at the moment we are staying put."

 

Foreigner abductions have been fairly common in the impoverished  territory, with 20 foreign nationals abducted over the past year.

  

In most cases, the abductors used the hostages as bargaining chips for concessions from the Palestinian Authority and the detainees were released unharmed within days.

 

Appeal

 

Palestinian colleagues of Razuri have meanwhile said his life was in danger because he needed medicine for heart disease.

Sakher Abu El-Awn, Gaza office manager of AFP,  said Razuri was taking several types of medication, including for a heart problem.

"We believe his life is at serious risk and we urge his captors to release him immediately," Abu El-Awn told Reuters.

"He has been without his medicine for three days. He is supposed to be under a strict food programme because of his health condition."

Source:
Agencies
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