Palestinian security forces stormed a building where an Italian hostage was being held, freeing the man, Alessandro Bernardini, after a shootout with his kidnappers, security officials said. Meanwhile, a British aid worker and her parents were also freed by Palestinian gunmen who abducted the family last week. Both the British aid worker and the Italian said nothing bad about their abductors, but rather restated their support of the Palestinians. The surge in kidnappings is a blow to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas who has vowed to end hostage taking and quell unrest before Jan. 25 elections.