The United States called for a "thorough and immediate" investigation into the death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy on Thursday, deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, as Israeli raids in the West Bank sparked clashes.
Patel was asked in a press briefing about the death of the boy. Rian Suleiman was reported to have suffered a heart attack when Israeli soldiers came to arrest his brothers in their West Bank home, citing family and a local hospital.
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Seven year old Rian Suleiman who died on Thursday in an incident blamed on IDF troops
"The U.S. is heartbroken to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child," Patel said.
"We support a thorough and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child's death" alongside an Israeli military probe, he added.
Patel also repeated a plea for calm in the West Bank made by Washington on Wednesday, before the raid that reportedly led to the boy's death.
The IDF earlier, denied any involvement in the child's death.
"A group hurled stones at civilians cars on the main road near the village of Toqou," the military said in a statement. "IDF soldiers searched for the suspects who fled to a nearby village. During the searches, there were no confrontations and no use of riot disperse means," the statement read.
"The IDF is familiar with the claim of the boy's death. And according to preliminary examination, his death had nothing to do with the IDF’s activities in the area."