LONDON, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- British Foreign Office confirmed on Saturday that three Britons kidnapped in the Gaza Strip have been released and that they are "well and in good spirits."

    "We are pleased to confirm that Kate, Win (Helen) and Hugh Burton have been released unharmed...They are currently with officials in our consulate general in Jerusalem who are providing them with all necessary help and care," the Foreign Office said ina statement.

    "We condemn all kidnappings which can never be a legitimate means of achieving any objective," said the statement.

    "Since we first heard of the Burtons' abduction, the British government has worked closely with the Palestinian Authority and others," the statement said, adding "we would like to express our thanks and appreciation to all those who helped secure the release of the Burtons."

    On Wednesday, humanitarian aid worker Kate Burton, 24, and her parents Hugh and Helen were seized at gunpoint close to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip.

    A previously unknown group calling itself the Mujahadeen Brigades claimed responsibility for the abduction shortly after the release. And they released a video showing a masked man reading a statement, with Burton standing next to him.

    It threatened to take more hostages unless Britain and the European Union put pressure on Israel to end the Israeli "no-go" zone in northern Gaza, said the statement.

    However, the Sky news cited British diplomats as saying that there had been no negotiations with the kidnappers.

    After the release, Burton, who works for the Palestinian Al Mezan Center for Human rights, told the BBC that they were treated well by their kidnappers during the two-and-a-half days in captivity, but that her parents were "tired."

    The family had been moved three times in two days by their captors, who remained masked throughout, she said.

    She also expressed her sadness that her parents had had such a "desperate experience" during their visit to Gaza, but said she hoped to continue her human rights work there. Enditem