Gaza City - A Palestinian Christian resident of Gaza City was found dead Sunday morning, two days after he was abducted by unknown individuals, the interior ministry in the deposed Hamas government said in a statement. Rami Khader Ayyad, 27, director of the Holy Book Association in Gaza, which includes a library of Christian books and a small sports club, had previously reportedly received death threats.
Witnesses said his body was found lying in the street, with several stab wounds in the back and the waist.
"As soon as we received information that the man was kidnapped, the police forces of the interior ministry started a campaign to search for him," the Hamas ministry statement said, adding that the murder "will not pass without our tough punishment."
Ayyad's library in downtown Gaza City, which serves the salient's tiny Christian community, was burned down several months ago by Islamic extremists, as part of protests against drawings of the Prophet Mohammed which appeared in several European newspapers.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deposed the Hamas-led unity government in mid-June, after Hamas gunmen seized routed their opposite numbers from the Fatah party movementand seized security control of the Gaza Strip.
