Foreign reporters working in Israel and the Palestinian areas on Monday urged Hamas to free a British filmmaker arrested by the radical Islamist movement ruling Gaza the previous day.
Paul Martin, a documentary filmmaker and journalist, was detained by Hamas security forces in Gaza City. He is reportedly being held in Gaza's central prison, DPA reported.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in a statement demanded Martin's immediate release.
"We expect Hamas, as we do all parties, to respect the rights of every journalist on assignment, to work without fear of being arrested," it said.
The Hamas authorities in Gaza accused a Palestinian fighter of revealing secrets harmful to "Palestinian security" in an interview with Martin. The fighter was also accused of collaborating with Israel.
A spokesman for the Palestinian militant group Abu Rish Brigades said that Martin was charged with violating Palestinian law and the security of the state, according to Israeli and Palestinian media reports.
The British consulate in Jerusalem confirmed only that a British national had been arrested, with spokesman Fadi Adeeb quoted as saying the consulate was "urgently looking into the matter" in order to sort it out on the consular level," according to Israeli media.
Journalists' group urges release of British filmmaker held in Gaza
