Via aljazeera.net -
A spokesman for the Army of Islam group has told Al Jazeera that they have not reached a deal with Hamas over the release of a British journalist abducted in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Sunday, a Hamas official had said that Alan Johnston, the BBC's Gaza correspondent, would be freed within hours.
"Our demands are known, to release our Muslim prisoners ... If they don't meet these demands there will be no release of this prisoner," the Army of Islam spokesman, said.
"If things get worse we will get closer to God by killing this journalist."
The spokesman said its main demand was the release of Abu Qatada, a London-based Palestinian-Jordanian, who faces deportation from the UK.
The British government says Abu Qatada is suspected of links with al-Qaeda and is a "significant international terrorist".
Abu Osameh al-Mo'ti, a Hamas representative in Iran,had said that the group was in negotiations with those holding Johnston but did not specify how he knew the British journalist would be freed.
"The BBC journalist will be released within the next hours, today," he said.
He also suggested that Hamas knew where the journalist was being held and that he was in good health.
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This topic highlights a strange divide that exist in Palestinian territories. Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam) looks to make an Islamic Palestinian state and has more Al-Qaeda like ideas than other groups in the region.
According to the Telegraph UK, It is widely believed the Dagmoush clan is increasingly pursuing a personal vendetta against Hamas since two of its family members were killed by Hamas-affiliated gunmen last December.
So Fatah is at odds with Hamas, Hamas is at odds with Army of Islam and Egypt supports the
Abbas/Fatah lead government. As recently as May 1007, Army of Islam has called for support of Fatah Al-Islam in Lebanon - a Syrian-backed Palestinian group.
Fatah currently controls the West Bank and Hamas currently controls the Gaza Strip.
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