...Meanwhile, Wa'el Sawalha, Ra'ad's father, said, "These allegations made by the perpetrator, who is my brother, are baseless. He said that he murdered my son for collaborating with the [Israeli] occupation. My son is dead because of excessive violence carried out against him by his uncle."

However, the boy's father did admit to police that he punished the boy after "receiving a misleading tip that my son was connected with Israeli border guards."

"I hit him and sent him to a locked room under the house," he said, noting he planned to speak with him further after returning home from work.

"Since I am working as a taxi driver, I gave my brother the keys and a few hours later I was informed of the murder of my son," he said, noting that the boy was "apparently harshly beaten by my brother, who suffers from mental problems."

Regardless, Sawalha called on the Palestinian Authority to complete their investigation into the murder of his son allegedly at the hands of his brother, and to reject unfounded claims that the boy was working with Israel...