The Hamas administration in Gaza condemned, Thursday evening, the murder of Italian human rights activist Vittoria Arrigoni, whose body was found in an abandoned Gaza home, hours after a Salafist Muslim group had given Hamas until 5:00 p.m. Friday to release its members before it would kill him, according to Kol Yisrael government radio.
Spokesman Ihab Al-Rasin of the Hamas Interior Ministry said Hamas would pursue Arrigoni's abductors. He hinted that Israel stood behind the abduction as a way to thwart the upcoming flotilla intended to block the Gaza naval blockade by frightening international activists who plan to join the voyage.