The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on Friday received a letter to pass onto Pope Francis on behalf of Palestinian minors being held in Israeli jails, a Palestinian official said.
Akram Alayasa, Coordinator of International Relations in the PA Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, told Ma’an that a group of Palestinian children who were former prisoners of Israel, accompanied by officials, met with the Patriarch, Fuad Twal.
Palestinian minors Issa Ahmed Al Muette, Julyana Zeyad Banourra, Tarek Reyad Ateya, Sofia Nasser Alayas, Jameel Al Baabeesh greeted the Latin Patriarch on Christmas, alongside Issa Qaraqe, the head of the PA Committee for Prisoners' Affairs.
The letter handed off to the Patriarch calls on Pope Francis to “pray for the children of Palestine” who are “arrested and detained illegally and inhumanely.”
The number of Palestinian child detainees held in Israeli prisons doubled in October, and the majority reported physical violence, strip searches, and poor conditions during their detention, according to Defense for Children International - Palestine.
