http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42460000/jpg/_42460016_johnston2_afp203b.jpg

BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has been released by kidnappers in the Gaza Strip after 114 days in captivity. Mr Johnston, 45, was handed over to armed men in Gaza City. He said his ordeal was like "being buried alive" but it was "fantastic" to be free.

And he described how he had been unable to see the sun for three months, and had once been chained for 24 hours.

Rallies worldwide had called for Mr Johnston's release. An online petition was signed by some 200,000 people.

Mr Johnston's father Graham said he and his wife were "overjoyed" at their son's release.

"It's been 114 days of a living nightmare," he said.

...

The BBC reporter was handed over to officials of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

He later appeared beside Hamas leader Ismail Haniya and thanked everyone who had worked for his release. He is now at the British Consulate in Jerusalem.


SOURCE (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6267928.stm)

Congratulations to BBC and Alan's family. And at last, someting constructive from Hamas. Maybe they are quite good after all? :super:

Well done Hamas.

I hope the UK do something to release the thousands of Palestinian prisinors in Israel jails.

He's only been in the job 3 days..........and Blair has already had his first success as the new special mid-east envoy!

What does that means?

Well done Hamas.
Absolutely ... well done. I'm sure you will be closely following the arrest and trial of his kidnappers since Hamas has brought back the rule of law in Gaza.

The crimnals of this kidnapping are well known. It should be a slam dunk to get a conviction.

Wouldn't you agree Tea?

this is nothing but a public relations stunt by hamas. they are still backwards savages.

i thank!

Jack raises an interesting point.

Hamas should now prove that they are a responsible government by arresting and prosecuting the kidnappers.

Unless they were secretly supporting them all along and this was nothing more than a publicity stunt.

I thnk wudjab and Jack have a point...
If Hamas was 'kind' enough to get him back...Then they should be 'good' enough and get the kidnappers. Or at least conduct SOME sort of investigation in the matter, even if it doesn't end in catching them...

Well done Hamas.

I hope the UK do something to release the thousands of Palestinian prisinors in Israel jails.

And when they don't, then Hamas will say that a 1000 Palestinians is not even worth one English man.

I have seen this game before.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2028700.ece

Hamas is not going to prosecute the kidnappers. What they are going to do is reward them. In the end, Hamas agreed that the kidnappers could keep their weapons – if they used them against Israel – and that the Islamic movement would protect them against their enemies.

What else could anyone expect from ... yes a terrorist organization.

It says:


Hamas negotiators decided that the Army of Islam’s role in capturing the corporal – regarded as legitimate antiIsraeli resistance – outweighed its later aberration in kidnapping the journalist. Hamas therefore decided not to seek retribution.

“It is not Hamas’s policy to ban resistance groups, just as long as their weapons are not turned against Palestinians,” said Ayman Taha, one of the key negotiators in talks with the Army of Islam, led by Mumtaz Dagmoush.

But after all he is free now. And the guy called Hamas leader to thank them.

Bottom line : Hamas rewards groups that participate in illegal activities like kidnapping.