Three Britons were abducted in southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian police said.

Unidentified masked gunmen seized the three Britons on the outskirts of the Rafah town near the Gaza-Egypt border and forced them into a car without plate and drove away.

One of the three was Keit Berton, a Scottish and the other two were her parents touring in Rafah area.

Berton is responsible for foreign relations at al-Mezan organization for human rights based in northern Gaza Strip, and she has been working as a volunteer for several months.

Palestinian residents in Rafah said the gunmen belong to a group called the Black Panthers, affiliated to the ruling Fatah movement.

The residents said Palestinian police and security forces have been searching for the kidnappers in Rafah.

This was the latest kidnapping incident in the coastal strip where chaos and crime are on the rise following an Israeli pullout from the territory in September.

A Dutch principal of an American school in Gaza and his Australian aide were abducted in northern Gaza Strip last Wednesday.

They were released soon.

There have been abductions of foreigners in Gaza in the past, which are usually conducted by militant groups to bargain with the authorities for personal affairs.

Source: Xinhua