After 114 days of captivity, BBC Gaza reporter Alan Johnston was freed on 4 July. Reportedly, Jaysh al-Islam handed the reporter over to Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip.
The BBC released the following statement upon Johnston’s release:
We are delighted and extremely relieved that our friend and colleague, Alan Johnston, has been released. This is wonderful news for his family, friends and colleagues — and everyone around the world who has shown their support for him over the past 114 days. We thank all of those who worked tirelessly — here and in the wider Middle East — to secure his freedom.
In an interview on the BBC, Johnston said he had access to a radio for most of the time he was held and that the coverage of his situation was a “huge psychological boost.”
The day of his release, Johnston received the Amnesty International UK Media Award for Radio for his reporting from Gaza prior to his abduction.
Previously: Moment of Silence for Captive Johnston
