The IDF on Thursday released the conclusions of its investigation into the death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy during a military raid which found no connection to the soldiers' actions.
Rayan Suleiman died under disputed circumstances late last month after an encounter between Israeli troops and his family. Some reports claimed he fell while being chased by soldiers while others quoted his family as saying that the boy had died from fear of Israeli soldiers
According to the military, soldiers entered the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Deir, where the boy’s family lives, in pursuit of suspects who were hurling stones at vehicles on a nearby road.
The investigation found that an officer questioned Suleiman’s father in the presence of two of his children at their home’s doorstep. The report described the questioning as a “short conversation” that was “held in a respectful manner, without any form of physical contact and certainly without the use of verbal or physical violence.”
“As the troops exited the village, they encountered a vehicle with the father of the family with the child on his lap. The car continued its journey without delay. Afterward, the commander identified an ambulance that entered and exited the village with no interference,” the military says.
It further noted that “during the entire stay of the troops in the village, no physical force or weapons of any kind were used (including firearms or riot dispersal means).”
The statement concludes by saying that “no evidence was found regarding Rayan's fall or of the physical damage he suffered as a result of the IDF activity.”
“With regard to the conclusions drawn from the examination, no correlation was found between the sad death of the child, Rayan Suleiman, and the activity of the troops in the village,” it said.
“The soldiers acted as expected of them, while adhering to the values of the IDF.”