McNaught praises efforts for release of hostages

Olaf Wiig and Anita McNaught, as pictured on Mr Wiig's website.

A "huge amount" of activity in Gaza City is working towards the release of New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig and his Fox News reporter colleague Steve Centanni, Wiig's wife says.

Broadcaster Anita McNaught went directly to Gaza when her husband of eight years was kidnapped last Monday.

Mr Wiig, 36, and Mr Centanni, 60, were parked in a sports utility vehicle when they were ambushed by masked gunmen.

Miss McNaught and the family of Mr Centanni have made televised pleas for the men's release, while diplomats from New Zealand, Britain and the United States have worked with Palestinian authorities, so far to no avail.

However, Miss McNaught said yesterday that a "huge amount" was going on.

New Zealand diplomat Peter Rider said yesterday he had met with a senior member of the Fatah movement, the director of preventive security in the Palestinian Authority and its Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

He believed everybody in the Palestinian Authority had been candid.

Miss McNaught said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had given her assurances the two were safe, but some information the authorities had was not being shared.

She believed at least two of the many meetings she had had in Gaza contained people who knew a great deal more than they were prepared at that time to tell, she told National Radio.

Kidnappings are common in Gaza, but there has never been a case of a foreigner being hurt, and most are returned within a short time.

Palestinian media have protested in support of the return of the kidnapped reporters.

- NZPA