Unknown Palestinian militants released on Monday three United Nations employees after they had been kidnapped for more than one hour in the city of Kahn Younis in southern Gaza Strip, security sources reported.

The sources said that masked Palestinian militants stopped a UN car in the city and forced the three employees, two foreigners and one local Palestinian driver, to come with them under the threats of arms.

The kidnappers took the three into their car and drove away, while dozens of Palestinian police and security officers followed the car and exchanged fire with the militants, they said.

After about half an hour of clashes, three militants surrendered and the three hostages were rescued, said the sources, adding that the hostages are safe and secure and the three militants were arrested.

The kidnapping was carried out by al-Farrah clan in the city, which was intending to exchange the hostages for one of the family members arrested on Sunday by the Palestinian preventive security.

The al-Farrah clan member is the bureau chief of ruling Fatah movement's chief Farooq Qadoomi in the city of Khan Younis, who was arrested after he issued a leaflet accusing the preventive security for trying to close the office.

Dozens of his family members occupied on Sunday evening the building of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the city as a protest to the arrest and called on the security forces to release him.

Fatah movement's leaders managed to convince the family to evacuate the building and promised that the family member will be released soon, while the building was actually evacuated.

On Monday morning, while al-Farrah has not yet been released, the militants kidnapped the three UN employees and wanted to exchange them for the family member, chief of al-Qadoomi bureau in the city.

Two similar incidents of kidnapping foreigners have also occurred recently in the Gaza Strip by clans and families aiming at exchanging them for their families' members arrested by Palestinian security forces or kidnapped by other militants groups.

Source: Xinhua