UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday deplored the abduction and murder of Italian national and pro-Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in the Gaza Strip, Xinhua reported.
"This crime was committed against a person who lived and worked among the Palestinian people in Gaza," said Ban in a statement issued by his spokesman.
Arrigoni was killed on Friday after being kidnapped by the al- Qaeda-aligned Jihadist Salafi group in Gaza. The kidnappers murdered the hostage before a deadline they set for Hamas to release imprisoned Jihadists.
The secretary-general called for "the perpetrators of this appalling crime to be brought to justice as soon as possible."