The suspect, named as Alaa al-Hams, a faction leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of the ruling Fatah party, was bundled into an unmarked car by unidentified men in the Rafah refugee camp south of Gaza City last night. A Palestinian official said that he was suspected of being behind the kidnapping.

About 20 gunmen later stormed a Palestinian Interior ministry building in Rafah, demanding the release of their comrade. All were armed with assault rifles, and some brandished rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

Palestinian sources said that officials were in contact with the gunmen by telephone and were trying to persuade them to leave.

Ms Burton, 24, and her parents Win and Hugh, were held for nearly three days before being released by their kidnappers early on Saturday. Their abductors called themselves the Brigades of the Mujahidin. If they prove to be part of the Fatah movement the kidnapping will be another blow to Fatah’s leader, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President.

Amid the chaos of Gaza, Mr Abbas is trying to organise the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in a decade. But with only three weeks to go, uncertainty hangs over the poll.

The main parties and a gaggle of independent candidates started their electioneering in the West Bank and Gaza, hoping to generate momentum with a blizzard of posters, banners and rallies.

But remarks by Mr Abbas, suggesting that the vote should be cancelled if Israel carried through its threat to prevent Arabs in east Jerusalem voting for Hamas, raised tensions.

Hamas is adamant that the vote must take place as scheduled on January 25 and even reformist elements within Fatah are angry that signals of a possible postponement would demoralise campaigns.

Fatah, which has overcome deep divisions in its ranks, began its campaign with a rally at the tomb of Yassir Arafat in Ramallah, pledging to fight corruption and unemployment while improving security.

Standing by the graveside, Nabil Shaath, a respected former minister, said: "This is an historic opportunity to show the world that we are a people who deserve freedom and an independent state."

In east Jerusalem, by the Old City’s Damascus Gate, the Israeli police broke up a rally by Hanan Ashrawi, a veteran legislator, enforcing a ban on Palestinian electioneering in the city. "The Palestinians of Jerusalem have a right to elect, to exercise their democratic rights in Jerusalem," said Dr Ashrawi, after one of her campaign staff was arrested.

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