GAZA CITY, Aug 26: Two Western journalists held in Gaza were “safe and sound” on Saturday after a deadline set by their captors for Washington to free Muslim prisoners passed, the Palestinian interior ministry said.

“We will continue our efforts and contacts to secure the release of the kidnapped journalists,” ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hillal said an hour after the midday (0900 GMT) ultimatum expired.

“We can confirm that they are safe and sound but we cannot give fuller details for the time being because we want our efforts to be crowned with success.”

US diplomats said they had no word on the two journalists who had been working for US television network Fox News when they were seized by unidentified gunmen on Aug 14 and bundled into a car.

“I have no new information, this kind of case takes time,” said Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, spokeswoman for the United States consulate general in Jerusalem.

“We are continuing to work to obtain their release in contact with the Palestinian security services and president Mahmud Abbas.”

There had been no news on the fate of Olaf Wiig, a freelance cameraman from New Zealand and his producer colleague, Steve Centanni, from the United States, until a video of the pair was released on Wednesday.—AFP