Israel said it was not involved in the death of a Palestinian boy who family members said died form heart failure while running away from troops.
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The US State Department voiced sorrow at the incident and encouraged an investigation. Seven-year-old Rayyan Suleiman was coming home from school with other pupils in the village of Tuqu when troops gave chase, and he "died on the spot from fear," his father Yasser said in a video circulated on social media.
A medical official who inspected the body told Reuters that it bore no sign of physical trauma and that the death appeared consistent with heart failure. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as "an ugly crime" by Israel.
An Israeli military spokesman said troops were in the vicinity at the time to search for Palestinians suspected of fleeing into the village after having thrown rocks at motorists.
"An initial inquiry shows no connection between the searches conducted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the area and the tragic death of the child," the spokesman said.
In Washington, deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "The US is heartbroken 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" alongside an Israeli military probe, he added.
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