BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston appeared in a video posted on the Internet last night wearing what he said was an explosive belt which his captors have threatened to blow up if force was used to free him.
"The situation now is very serious. As you can see I have been dressed in what is an explosive belt, which the kidnappers say will be detonated if there was any attempt to storm this area," Mr Johnston said in the video posted by the Army of Islam on a Web site used by militants.
Mr Johnston appeared wearing a white and blue belt around his torso with black shoulder straps over a dark red sweater in the undated video filmed against a black background. The 45-year-old Briton looked tired, but unharmed.
"I do appeal to the Hamas movement and the British government not to resort to tactics of force in an effort to end this. I would ask the BBC and anyone in Britain who wishes me well to support me in that appeal," he said in the one minute video.
Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government sacked by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said earlier yesterday his group has not used force to free Johnston at the request of the British government, fearing he might be killed or injured in the process.
Mr Johnston said negotiations to seek his release were thwarted by what his captors told him was a plan by Britain and Hamas to use force to secure his release.
"Captors tell me that very promising negotiations were ruined when the Hamas movement and the British government decided to press for a military solution to this kidnapping."
"The answer is to return to negotiations, which I am told are very close to reaching a deal... They (captors) say they are willing to turn the hideout into what they described as a 'death zone' if there was an attempt to free me by force," he added.
On June 17th a spokesman of the Army of Islam said negotiations had been underway for the release of the Scotsman, but said Mr Johnston would be killed if the group was trapped. Wearing a black face mask he insisted in a video that at least part of the group's demands be met.
The captors want Britain to free Muslim prisoners, particularly Islamist cleric Abu Qatada, in exchange for the reporter's release.
Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip say they are pressing the kidnappers to free Mr Johnston.