Word: johnstons
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...case of the kidnapped BBC journalist, it is not a question of where he is being hidden or who his kidnappers are: Everyone in Gaza, and that includes the new rulers Hamas, suspects that Johnston was captured by a notorious arms smuggler and gangster named Mumtaz Dagmush...
...dilemma is how to spring Johnston without killing...
...Gaza, proof of life came within the last 48 hours for two long-sought captives: the BBC journalist Alan Johnston, captured over 100 days ago, and Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was grabbed exactly one year ago by militants who had tunneled under the security wall around the Gaza Strip...
...video of the journalist, released on Sunday by his captors, shows him wearing what is supposedly an explosive vest. In the video, Johnston warns: "The situation now is very serious. As you can see I have been dressed in what is an explosive belt, which the kidnappers say will be detonated if there was any attempt to storm this area," he says...
...Hamas wants to avoid Johnston's being killed while they're trying to rescue him, especially now that he may be strapped with explosives. For the Islamist militants who seized control of Gaza two weeks ago, freeing Johnston is an imperative: His release would show the international community that Hamas is not only acting responsibly, but are also in control of Gaza, which has for months been in the grip of anarchy. It is also seen as a test of Hamas' determination to crack down on the powerful clans whose many feuds have added to Gaza's chaos...