Missing Palestinian Boy Probably Abducted by Israeli Settlers before Death (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Palestinian child who went missing on Friday has been found frozen to death, his family announced on Saturday morning as rumors suggested he was kidnapped.
Qais Abu Rmaileh was found in the East Jerusalem al-Quds neighborhood of Beit Hanina and was immediately taken to Hadassah hospital, where lifesaving attempts were unsuccessful.
A devastating video which surfaced online showed the frozen young boy, who had been wearing a visible red jacket, being carried by rescuers out of the water while dozens of local volunteers looked on, Alaraby reported.
Doctors at the hospital were instructed to dissect his body to determine the exact cause of death, his family confirmed to The New Arab.
Hundreds of locals had joined the search for the 8-year-old who went missing around 4pm on Friday. The search had extended outside of his local town and into the wider areas of Jerusalem al-Quds, including areas with a high concentration of settlers, after rumors suggested he may have been kidnapped.
Israeli forces also deployed to protect local settlements as anger boiled among Palestinians over fears he had been kidnapped by settler children in the area.
A video which surfaced after the boy went missing showed a young child being followed by a group of settlers, though Qais's father quickly confirmed it was not his son.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
