Palestinian Boy Dies Of Heart Failure While Being Chased By Israeli Troops In West Bank, US Backs Full Investigation

Palestinian illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Ahmed Abu Hameeda)

JAKARTA - A Palestinian boy died of heart failure while being chased by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, his father said, as the Israeli military denied it while the United States pushed for a full investigation.

Seven-year-old Rayyan Suleiman was returning from school with other students in Tuqu Village when troops chased him, and he "died on the spot from fright", his father Yasser said in a video circulating on social media.

A medical official who examined the body told Reuters there was no sign of physical trauma and his death appeared consistent with heart failure. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a "bad crime" by Israel.

Separately, an Israeli military spokesman said troops were in the vicinity of the area, looking for Palestinians suspected of fleeing into the village after throwing stones at motorists.

"Initial investigations show no connection between the search carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the area and the child's tragic death", the spokesman said.

However, Palestinians said there was no stone-throwing at the time. The military spokesman added, "details of the incident are being reviewed."

In Washington, deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, "The United States is deeply saddened to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child."

"We support a thorough and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child's death in addition to an Israeli military investigation", he stressed.