A Palestinian family on Thursday called for release of their son kidnapped in Iraq about one month ago.

The family of Ahmed Abu Ghalyoon, 16, from the Jenin refugee camp in northern West Bank urged influential Iraqi figures to interfere and secure the release of their son.

The hostage's uncle Mohamed Abu Ghalyoon revealed that Ahmed was kidnapped by unknown militants about one month ago when kidnappers contacted Ahmed's mother and asked for 2 million Iraqi Dinars (1, 369 US dollars).

He said Ahmed has been living in Baghdad with his mother and his elder brother for several years and his father died in a car accident.

Abu Ghalyoon said that the family prepared the money and sent his elder brother Atheer to give the money and get him back, but the kidnappers didn't contact the family again.

"The kidnappers did not call the family in Baghdad to say where the child is," said Abu Ghalyoon.

The family urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to intervene. They also urged Iraq's radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Iraq's powerful Shiite clergyman Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the Islamic Corporation in Iraq to help release the teenager.

Source: Xinhua