Gaza
The Palestinian Islamist party Hamas has scored a public relations victory with the release of a kidnapped BBC reporter. Alan Johnston spent four months in the custody of the Army of Islam, a Palestinian fringe group that repeatedly threatened to kill him. When Hamas defeated the forces of rival party Fatah last month and took control of the entire Gaza Strip, one of its first moves was to find Johnston. Hamas arrested Army of Islam leader Qattab al-Maqdesy, a Palestinian who trained with al Qaida in Afghanistan, and forced the kidnappers to release their hostage. After a tearful reunion last week with his parents and sister, Johnston promised his colleagues he would try to avoid getting snatched again. “Just imagine the embarrassment,” he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The genetic secrets of South Korea's female free-diversUnder The Radar Unique physiology of 'real-life mermaid' haenyeo women could help treat chronic diseases
-
Democrats: How to rebuild a damaged brandFeature Trump's approval rating is sinking, but so is the Democratic brand
-
Unraveling autismFeature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
