Hamas Frees UK Journalist Paul Martin After Month's Detention

(March 11) -- A British journalist was freed today after being held in the Gaza Strip for a month by its Hamas rulers on reported allegations that he spied for Israel.

Paul Martin, a London-based freelance writer for television and newspapers, said he had gone to a Gaza military court on Feb. 14 to testify on behalf of a Palestinian accused of working with Israeli security services.

Instead, he became the first foreigner to be arrested since Hamas took over Gaza in 2007.

Khalil Hamra, AP

British journalist Paul Martin gives a thumbs-up as Hamas security officers hand him over to British diplomats in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday.

Smiling and giving a thumbs-up, Martin was handed over to British diplomats today and driven off to Israel. He said he was arrested because of his work as a journalist and called his release a "great victory for the freedom of the media," according to The Associated Press.

Without elaboration, he said he "has gone through a lot" during his month in captivity, the AP said.

At a news conference, senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar, flanked by British and South African diplomats, said Martin was still considered guilty of espionage but that Hamas would bring no charges, The Daily Telegraph of London reported.

Martin's lawyer, Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, insisted his client was simply a journalist researching stories. At the time of Martin's arrest, prosecutors refused to say what he was accused of, but a Gaza human rights lawyer told The Daily Mail of London that he was considered a spy for Israel.

Zahar said today that Martin was suspected of serious security offenses and would not be able to return to Gaza, although he said other journalists were free to work there as normal.

He alleged Martin "was working on defaming the image of the Palestinian people by saying that they smuggle weapons through tunnels" that are used to bypass a blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt, the AP reported.

Zahar also said Martin was working on a story about the alleged use by Hamas of civilians as human shields in attacks and had endangered the territory's security, the news agency said.

Martin, who is in his 50s and also holds South African nationality, has reported frequently from Gaza, the Telegraph said, and was working on a documentary about the accused Palestinian.

Britain's vice consul in Jerusalem, Stephen Brown, told the newspaper, "We're obviously all relieved that Paul is out."

In London, his wife, Anne, said she was "extremely relieved" and expected Martin home by the weekend, according to the AP.