The two are 60-year-old Steve Centanni and his 36-year-old cameraman Olaf Wiig of New Zealand. They were both seen on a seconds-long video immediately after being freed; Centanni appeared tearful and very emotional, while Wiig was seen running towards and up a set of stairs and appeared angry. They are reportedly in the Beach Hotel in Gaza City.
In an interview with Fox just about an hour after being released, Centanni was asked, "Forgive the journalist in me, but - what happened?" Though the questioner seemed to be asking under what conditions they had been released, Centanni began a long account of how they were kidnapped and the conditions under which they were held.
Only at the end of his account, after being asked if the kidnappers had asked anything of them, Centanni said that they had been forced to tape a video that they did not want to tape (see below), and also that "we were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, but - now don't get me wrong here, I have the highest regard for Islam and I learned some very interesting things about it, but we only did that because they had the guns and we didn't know what the hell was going on."
Two videos of the two of them in captivity were released over the past few days, and they appeared in fine health. In the second video, released early this morning, they are shown appearing to convert to Islam. Each hostage is seen separately, reading from prepared statements. Wiig's statement, which he read while lifting his index finger - an Islamic gesture of religious belief - calls upon Western leaders to heed the Arab world and stop refusing to negotiate with terrorists. "It is Apache helicopters firing hellfire missiles made in America that kill the residents in Gaza," Wiig read.
The Hamas Authority Arab captors, of a group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, originally demanded that the US release Moslem prisoners in American jails. Their 72-hour ultimatum expired over the weekend without incident.
Relatives of both hostages had called upon the kidnappers to release them, saying that the journalists could better serve the Arabs of Gaza if allowed to work freely. Centanni's brother Ken appealed to the captors on Al-Jazeera, saying, "Steve has strong respect for the Palestinian people and their culture. Steve was in Gaza with Olaf Wiig to report the truth. He is far more valuable to the Palestinian people free as a journalist than as a captive.” Wiig's wife Anita McNaught made similar pleas.
Both the US and New Zealand officially refused to negotiate with the terrorists, though said they were making intensive efforts to bring about their release.
In an interview with Fox just about an hour after being released, Centanni was asked, "Forgive the journalist in me, but - what happened?" Though the questioner seemed to be asking under what conditions they had been released, Centanni began a long account of how they were kidnapped and the conditions under which they were held.
Only at the end of his account, after being asked if the kidnappers had asked anything of them, Centanni said that they had been forced to tape a video that they did not want to tape (see below), and also that "we were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, but - now don't get me wrong here, I have the highest regard for Islam and I learned some very interesting things about it, but we only did that because they had the guns and we didn't know what the hell was going on."
Two videos of the two of them in captivity were released over the past few days, and they appeared in fine health. In the second video, released early this morning, they are shown appearing to convert to Islam. Each hostage is seen separately, reading from prepared statements. Wiig's statement, which he read while lifting his index finger - an Islamic gesture of religious belief - calls upon Western leaders to heed the Arab world and stop refusing to negotiate with terrorists. "It is Apache helicopters firing hellfire missiles made in America that kill the residents in Gaza," Wiig read.
The Hamas Authority Arab captors, of a group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, originally demanded that the US release Moslem prisoners in American jails. Their 72-hour ultimatum expired over the weekend without incident.
Relatives of both hostages had called upon the kidnappers to release them, saying that the journalists could better serve the Arabs of Gaza if allowed to work freely. Centanni's brother Ken appealed to the captors on Al-Jazeera, saying, "Steve has strong respect for the Palestinian people and their culture. Steve was in Gaza with Olaf Wiig to report the truth. He is far more valuable to the Palestinian people free as a journalist than as a captive.” Wiig's wife Anita McNaught made similar pleas.
Both the US and New Zealand officially refused to negotiate with the terrorists, though said they were making intensive efforts to bring about their release.