Palestinian American died of heart attack after detention by Israeli soldiers, autopsy finds
An autopsy of a Palestinian American man who died after being detained by Israeli soldiers showed that the man's death occurred after he was bound and gagged.
Omar Assad's autopsy showed that he suffered a stress-induced heart attack following the severe treatment he endured while detained at a cold construction site, The Washington Post reported.
The results of the autopsy were released on Wednesday and indicated that Assad had been bound and blindfolded. He also suffered abrasions on his wrists as well as bleeding on the insides of his eyelids. The report did not mention any other evidence of physical trauma, the Post added.
The Israel Defense Forces did not comment to the Post about the report's findings.
"We are continuing with the investigation," spokesperson Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler told the newspaper. "If we find any wrongdoing, we will act according to the findings, our protocols and our values."
Israeli soldiers stopped Assad, a Milwaukee grocery store owner, in Jiljilya, a Palestinian village where he grew up and moved to in 2010. He and his wife of 50 years relocated after spending the majority of their lives in the Midwest.
He was found unresponsive on Jan. 12, and following his death, Assad's family demanded an international investigation.
"We want justice," Hala Hamad, Assad's 48-year-old daughter, previously said. "We want a thorough investigation from the U.S. government and the U.N. because [Israel] can't investigate their own crimes."
The U.S. State Department has requested "clarification" from Israel about the circumstances of Assad's death.
"We appreciate the State Department's condolences and consular support, but their calls for "clarification" and waiting for Israel's own "investigation" are grossly inadequate," Assad's family said in a statement on Monday.
"The military that killed our father cannot investigate itself, because we know that it will either absolve itself of this crime, or offer itself nothing more than a slap on the wrist," the family's statement added.
