Kate Burton (aid worker)

Kate Burton (born 1981) is an English aid worker who was kidnapped together with her parents from the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip on 28 December 2005.^[1]

Background

Seven kidnappers, armed with automatic rifles, pulled over the car occupied by Kate Burton and her parents, Hugh and Win Burton, and then bundled them into a white vehicle on 28 December 2005, while she was showing her parents around the Palestinian town of Rafah close to the border with Egypt.

The Palestinian authorities stepped up efforts to find the three persons by setting up road blocks in the area. The militant group al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades condemned the kidnappings. There were also public protests in Gaza calling for their release.

Palestinian mediators said on 30 December, that they expected the hostages to be released shortly. Subsequently, all three hostages were released on 30 December, following the release of a video by the kidnappers over the internet. No ransom was paid for the release of the hostages. Kate Burton's brother, Jamie Burton, released a statement on behalf of the family saying that Kate intended to continue working in Gaza.

In addition to her native English, Burton is fluent in Arabic, French, German, and Spanish.

References

1. ^ "Bid to find captured Gaza Britons". BBC. 29 December 2005.
2. ^ "Kidnapped Britons 'freed in Gaza'". BBC. 30 December 2005.