Israeli troops shot and killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby in Hebron after opening fire on a vehicle carrying the child and his family, despite the car having stopped as soldiers ordered.
The incident occurred on Friday in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron when soldiers signaled for the family's car to stop. According to the father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, he immediately brought the vehicle to a complete halt and raised his hands on the steering wheel. Soldiers then opened fire on the car.
The baby, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was critically injured and rushed to hospital, where he died. The child had turned seven months old on the day of the shooting. Abu Haikal's wife was also severely wounded, with shrapnel lodged close to her heart. The father was shot in the hand. The family's 11-year-old son and the baby's grandmother, who were also in the vehicle, survived the incident.
Abu Haikal told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that a bullet passed through his hand and struck his son, who was being held by his mother in the back seat. He said the shooting occurred in broad daylight with clear windows, meaning the soldier could clearly see the family inside. "I stopped as I was instructed to, and then they simply shot at the car," he said.
The Israeli Defense Forces stated that troops "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" and a soldier "responded with single shots toward the vehicle." The military said three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for treatment, adding that the incident is under review and expressing "deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals."
At the baby's funeral on Saturday, Abu Haikal rejected the military's account. He said the car was completely stationary when fired upon. "A seven-month-old infant killed in cold blood. He didn't deserve this," he stated. He called for a full investigation and accountability for the soldier responsible.
The British consulate in Jerusalem said it was "shocked and saddened" by the killing, calling for an "immediate and transparent investigation and accountability."
An initial military inquiry found those injured were uninvolved civilians. The incident reflects broader concerns about civilian casualties in the West Bank. According to the UN, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war began, with at least 240 of them children. Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are rarely penalized, with indictments occurring in less than 1 percent of cases based on 2,427 complaints between 2016 and 2024, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.