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Hamas pledged to free a British journalist held hostage in Gaza.

Hamas said over the weekend that, having seized control of the Gaza Strip, it was in advanced negotiations with those holding the BBC’s Alan Johnston and hoped for his imminent release.

Johnston, the only Western reporter based in Gaza full-time, was seized on March 12 by a group calling itself Army of Islam.

His abduction prompted an exodus of foreigners from Gaza, but Hamas is keen to see a return of the media as it tries to shore up its power base and image abroad.

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