Israel Police on Thursday morning released new details from the investigation into the tragic explosion in Beitar Illit that claimed the life of nine-year-old Eliyahu Azriel.
Azriel, the eighth of ten children in his family, was laid to rest Wednesday night at 11:30 p.m. at the Sephardic funeral home at Mount Menuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
Investigators from the Judea and Samaria Police District, police bomb disposal experts, forensic investigators, and fire investigators from the Judea and Samaria Fire and Rescue Services worked throughout the night to determine what caused a recycling container in a residential neighborhood to explode.
Police bomb disposal experts conclusively ruled out suspicions that an explosive device had been deliberately planted or that the incident was criminally or terrorist-motivated.
The investigation into the fire has raised strong suspicions that the tragedy was the direct result of a dangerous practice occurring on the city's streets: children and teenagers setting fire to garbage containers and then waiting nearby as though watching a show, simply to see emergency and rescue crews arrive in the early evening.
This time, however, the dangerous activity ended in tragedy. The fire burning inside the recycling containers created pressure that led to an internal explosion while dozens of curious children stood close to the container, apparently unaware of the danger.
The powerful blast sent a deadly fragment flying from the container, striking the boy in the neck and causing fatal injuries. Emergency medical teams fought to save his life, but he was ultimately pronounced dead at the hospital.
Following the findings, Etzion Police Station Commander Chief Superintendent Rafi Vaknin held an urgent discussion Wednesday night with the mayor of Beitar Illit.
The two agreed to immediately launch an educational and deterrence campaign in the city's schools to eradicate the dangerous practice of setting fires before it claims additional lives.