Steve Centanni of Fox News

JERUSALEM – Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip today kidnapped two Fox News journalists, including reporter Steve Centanni, to protest America's "involvement " in Israel's military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, leaders of the Al Aqsa Martys Brigades terror group told WorldNetDaily.

The Brigades, the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, is responsible for scores of shootings and rocket attacks against Israelis and, together with Islamic Jihad, every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years.

Brigades leaders have in the past kidnapped foreigners, mostly in the West Bank, only to let them go usually hours later.

Sources in the Al Aqsa Brigades told WND "independent Palestinian gunmen" affiliated with their group carried out the kidnapping "completely on their own."

A senior Al Aqsa leader, who claimed his group did not sanction the kidnapping, told WND he thinks the Fox News hostages are being held "to make a point that Palestinians are against American aid to Israeli aggression." He mentioned Israel's military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

The terror leader provided WND with Centanni's name, but not that of his associate, though wire reports indicate he's cameraman Olaf Wiig from New Zealand. The terrorist said he received the name from one of his colleagues involved in the kidnapping.

The Al Aqsa leader estimated the kidnappers would release the two reporters "within hours after the point is made."

A member of the Popular Resistance Committees terror group told WND he can confirm gunmen associated with Al Aqsa kidnapped the two Fox News employees, but he hinted other groups may now be involved.

"Don't be surprised if other groups are helping out," said the Committees member.

The Popular Resistance Committees, a Gaza-based terror group, is accused of orchestrating attacks along with groups affiliated with al-Qaida and has in the past carried out anti-American attacks. Israel says the Committees was responsible for the bombing of a U.S. convoy in Gaza in 2003 in which three American government contractors were killed.

Officials in the Hamas-run Palestinian government told WND they were aware of the kidnappings and claimed they would work to free the hostages.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said the Israeli army was looking into the reports.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency they saw two vehicles block the Fox News reporters' car in Gaza City. They said masked gunmen forced the reporters into their own car and then sped away.

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