The martyrdom of the 7-year-old child, Rayan Suleiman, sparked widespread anger in the occupied Palestinian territories, after the Ministry of Health confirmed that he had died of a heart attack after the occupation army stormed his family’s home south of Bethlehem, and the United States called for a comprehensive and immediate investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that the medical teams were unable to revive the child, who was transferred to Beit Jala Governmental Hospital, and his body will be buried today after Friday prayers.
According to Rayan's family, soldiers of the occupation forces stormed their house in the town of Tekoua yesterday, Thursday, to arrest his two children, accused of throwing stones at the occupation soldiers.
The child was returning from school with other students in the town when the occupation forces started chasing them.
His father, Yasser, said - in a video clip that spread on social media - that one of the soldiers kept running after Rayan until the child died "of fear."
The death of the Palestinian child Rayan Suleiman (7 years) as a result of a fall while being chased by the Israeli occupation forces, in the town of Taqu`, southeast of Bethlehem, as all attempts to revive his heart failed. pic.twitter.com/Xokqtp4AFu
- Al Jazeera (@AJArabic) September 29, 2022
“The four martyrs of Jenin who were killed, we are not better than them.”
– The last thing the child Ryan Suleiman said, seven years old pic.twitter.com/EW8bPnAGF1
— Q.s. 𓂆 (@jalestinian2) September 29, 2022
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the actions of the occupation forces, and said that what happened was a "heinous crime" committed by Israel.
On the other hand, Reuters quoted an Israeli military spokesman as saying that the forces were in the vicinity at the time to search for Palestinians suspected of fleeing to the town after throwing stones at the motorists.
He said that the preliminary investigation shows that there is no connection between the search operations conducted by the Israeli army in the area and the tragic death of the child, as he put it.
"Details of the accident are under review," he added.
Palestinian residents of the area denied that stones were thrown at that time.
The chants of young men during the transfer of the body of the child Rayan Suleiman after the autopsy of his body in the town of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, who died of his injuries after falling from a height while being chased by the occupation forces pic.twitter.com/wK2UrJQuke
— AlQastal Al Qastal (@AlQastalps) September 29, 2022
The child, Rayan Suleiman, "seven years old" was chased by the Israeli occupation soldiers near his school, east of Bethlehem. He tried to escape from his fear. He fell from a height and his heart stopped and he was martyred pic.twitter.com/mLvFV8BmA9
— Mahmoud Abbas (@Mahmoud3bbas) September 29, 2022
In Washington, State Department deputy spokesman Vidant Patel said the United States was "deeply saddened to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child."
"We support a comprehensive and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child's death," he added.
Patel reiterated a call for calm in the West Bank that Washington made on Wednesday, before Ryan's death.