A Middle East expert is urging caution over the possibility the group which kidnapped New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig could have al Qaeda links.

Wiig's wife, broadcaster Anita McNaught, has met the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas overnight and issued a fresh appeal for the captives' release.

A senior figure in the Hamas government says the abductions go against the values of the Palestinian people, fuelling further speculation the Holy Jihad Brigades could have links to al Qaeda.

Dr Nigel Parsons from Massey University says the kidnapping is indicative of growing anarchy and poverty arising from Israel's destruction of the Palestinian Authority and its economy. He believes the abduction is likely to be intended to embarrass Hamas and help the gunmen secure access to much-needed financial resources.

"Since Israel destroyed the Palestinian security apparatus, then withheld finance from the new Hamas government, people are looking for means to support their families. One way of improving their position has been to kidnap a foreigner to remind what is left of the Authority of their needs. They might then be expected to be quietly recruited in the security apparatus, given a uniform and a salary.?

He says the incident is similar to other abductions carried out by groups claiming to be the al-Aqsa Martyrs? Brigades, a decentralised and radical offshoot of the mainstream Fatah movement.

Dr Parsons thinks if the captors were al Qaeda, they would be proud to admit it, as has been seen before in Iraq. He agrees with speculation that the kidnapping may also be in retaliation for Fox TV's pro-Israeli news coverage.

Dr Parsons says previous incidents have ended bloodlessly and hostages often end up sympathising with the position of their captors.

He has recently returned from the West Bank where he was researching Fatah, the formerly-dominant political faction which lost its majority to Hamas in January's parliamentary elections.