The Hamas-led Palestinian government on Tuesday said it has identified the kidnappers of a BBC journalist abducted in Gaza by four masked gunmen, and hopes to free him soon.

The abduction on Monday of BBC television correspondent Alan Johnston was the latest in a string of kidnappings of foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip. Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said the kidnapping hurt the Palestinian cause.

“The kidnappers have no nationalism, they want a cheap reward,” he said. “They are well-known, and we hope he (Johnston) will be found today.” Hamad spoke at a protest in front of the BBC office, where 30 Palestinian reporters called for the journalist’s quick release.

Johnston had been reporting from Gaza for the past three years. In a statement on Tuesday, the BBC said it still had no confirmation of his whereabouts: “We are working closely with the Palestinian authorities and others to establish the facts surrounding the situation.”