GAZA CITY - The captors of BBC journalist Alan Johnston balked yesterday at demands by Hamas to release him and repeated their threats to kill him if Britain failed to free an Islamist prisoner, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.
The warning came as Mr. Johnston was spending his 100th day in captivity in the Gaza Strip and Hamas said it was still working to secure his release.
"Unless they [Britain] respond to these demands, there will be no way out for this captive. If the circumstances worsen, we will approach Allah to see what can be done with this reporter, even if we have to slaughter him," a spokesman for the Army of Islam said in a video, according to SITE, an independent service that monitors Islamist Web sites.Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for a week since routing its Fatah opponents, recently raised hopes Mr. Johnston, 45, might be released quickly.
Yesterday, his colleagues held vigils around the world to mark the 100 days, by far the longest period a Westerner has been held in the chaotic Palestinian territory.
"We are following the case of the journalist Alan Johnston very intensively and a big effort is being made to ensure he is released. We are trying to use all possible ways to end this matter," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman.
The movement said it wanted to find a solution that would not endanger his life, saying it would be wrong to rush in after an earlier death threat from his captors.
"Hamas wants to find the right mechanism to release him in order to protect his life. It is very important for us to keep him safe. To rush would be wrong," said another spokesman, Fawzi Barhum.
Yesterday, masked gunmen shot dead a member of the Dog-mush clan in broad daylight in Gaza City. In 2006, members of the family formed the Army of Islam, the radical group that claims to be holding Mr. Johnston.
There has been no word on his condition since the radical fringe group claiming his abduction released an undated video on June 1 in which he looked pale but said he had been well treated and well fed.
Mr. Johnston was the only Western journalist permanently based in the increasingly lawless territory when he was seized on March 12. The experienced reporter had been based for three years in Gaza, where a string of other foreign kidnappings have been resolved within days.
Yesterday, his parents, Graham and Margaret, were joined by villagers at their home in Scotland and released 100 balloons at 2:15 p.m, the exact time he was kidnapped at gunpoint while driving home in Gaza City.
BBC colleagues also held a moment of silence at that time, with offices in Washington, New York, Brussels, Jerusalem and Kabul taking part.
"On the 100th day, we are more steadfast in our support for Alan than ever and our thoughts are always with his family," said Helen Boaden, director of BBC News.
The Army of Islam is demanding Britain release Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-born cleric, once labelled al-Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe.
"If we do not reach an agreement and the situation worsens for us, we will have to turn to God and have no choice but to slit the throat of the journalist," a masked spokesman said on Sunday.
Mr. Johnston's plight has sparked rallies and messages of support from all over the world and an online petition calling for his release has been signed by more than 170,000 people.
