French hostage family voices hope for his freedom

The family of a French hostage held by jihadists in Algeria on Tuesday said they hoped he would be released, and spoke of their anguish at his kidnapping.

"We learned with great pain of the kidnapping of Herve Gourdel, our father, our partner, our son, our brother and our very dear friend," said a family statement sent to AFP.

"Herve, we can't wait to see you again and we are waiting for you," the statement added.

The family thanked the Algerian and French authorities for doing "everything in their power" to secure the release of the 55-year-old hiker, who was seized in the mountainous eastern Tizi Ouzou region of Algeria late on Sunday.

On Monday, Gourdel appeared in a video with his captors, who threatened to kill him within 24 hours if France did not stop its air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq.

The family said they had "every confidence" in the French and Algerian authorities to being the kidnapping to a "happy conclusion" and asked for privacy at this "particularly difficult time".