A seven-month-old Palestinian infant was killed and his parents wounded after Israeli soldiers opened fire on their vehicle in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials and multiple international media reports.
The child, identified as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was fatally shot on Friday while traveling with his parents near the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron. Palestinian authorities said the family was driving from Bethlehem to visit relatives when soldiers opened fire on their vehicle. The infant later succumbed to his injuries, while both parents were hospitalized.
According to the Israeli military, troops fired at a vehicle they believed was posing a threat and accelerating toward them. However, the military later acknowledged that an initial inquiry found the victims were uninvolved civilians and announced that the incident was under review.
The child’s father, Fahd Abu Haikal, disputed the military’s account, stating that the family had stopped their vehicle and posed no danger to the soldiers. Family members said the shooting occurred near a military checkpoint in an area of Hebron that frequently experiences tensions between Israeli forces, settlers and Palestinian residents.
Images from the scene showed bullet damage to the family’s vehicle, including a shattered windshield. Reports indicate that the infant was critically injured during the shooting and died shortly afterward despite efforts to save his life.
The incident has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations and diplomatic officials, with renewed calls for an independent investigation and accountability. It comes amid heightened violence in the West Bank, where the United Nations says more than 1,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, have been killed since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023.
