Palestinians step up search for kidnapped Britons

Palestinian security forces set up roadblocks throughout the southern Gaza Strip today as they stepped up a search for three British citizens abducted by Palestinian gunmen, the latest in a wave of kidnappings of foreigners in the chaotic area.

Kate Burton, 25, a British aid worker, was kidnapped along with her parents yesterday in the southern town of Rafah, said Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa.