IS temporarily kidnaps Gaza journalist working for Dutch

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A Palestinian journalist who also works as adviser in the Gaza Strip to Dutch diplomats was kidnapped and beaten by men claiming to belong to the Islamic State (IS) group, a relative said yesterday. Mohammed Al Maghayer went missing on Tuesday morning and was released several hours later after having been interrogated about his links to the Dutch, the relative said. The Dutch delegation to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank had no immediate comment.

A medic at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital treated Maghayer for "wounds to his legs" and he was discharged early yesterday.

"Mohammed was kidnapped around 8:00 am near his home in Gaza City," the relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

"His abductors told him they belonged to the IS. "They put metal handcuffs on him and drove him to an undisclosed location where they held him for about eight hours, asking information about himself and his work with the Dutch." Maghayer said he was "kidnapped and beaten," but made no further comment. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said its "security forces have launched an investigation to find who is behind this attack."