Israeli police on Wednesday reportedly briefly detained a 3-year-old Palestinian boy in southern West Bank's Hebron for allegedly throwing stones.

The Haaretz daily said that the father of the child, who was asking for him back, did not receive a response from the Israeli police for 30 minutes.

Border police officers claimed the incident was "a deliberate provocation," saying the boy ran at them with a screwdriver after throwing stones.

A video of the child's detention was posted on Twitter, showing an Israeli police officer holding the crying boy's hand. The child's father is also seen in the video, asking the police to release the boy.

At the end of the video, the boy seeks shelter behind the legs of his father.

Ra'ad Abu Armila, who witnessed the event, told the Haaretz that the incident was triggered when an Israeli police officer called to the boy and cursed him and his mother.

"The boy went home upset and later returned with a gourd scraper. He came close to the [police officer] and then the [policeman] grabbed him. The incident was in the plaza of the mosque in one of the corners, near the boytarget="_blank"'>