The United States today called for a "thorough and urgent" investigation into the death of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy during clashes in the West Bank sparked by Israeli raids.
The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported that Rian Suleiman was terrified and suffered a heart attack when Israeli soldiers came to arrest his brothers at their home in the West Bank city of Tekoa.
"The United States is deeply saddened to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child," State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said when asked about the boy at a press conference.
Mohamed Suleiman, the boy's uncle, said Rian was at home with his parents and two brothers when Israeli soldiers knocked on the door. He added that the army wanted to arrest two brothers, aged eight and 10, because they allegedly threw stones at soldiers, Haaretz reported.
“Rian's father opened the door and the soldiers entered. Then there was commotion and screaming. Out of fear, (Rian) collapsed and had a heart attack," Sulejman said, adding that the boy had no health problems.
"He was a perfectly healthy and happy boy, and we lost him within minutes."
The Israeli army said it was investigating the case and that the initial investigation "did not find any connection between the boy's death and the activities of the soldiers in the area."
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