Seven-month-old Palestinian baby killed after Israeli army fires at family car

Israeli troops opened fire on a family car near Hebron, killing a seven-month-old Palestinian baby and wounding his parents. The army said the incident is under review after its initial inquiry found the casualties were uninvolved civilians.

In Short

• Baby injured in face, later died; parents also wounded
• Family vehicle fired upon near Hebron checkpoint
• Israeli military says incident under review, claims vehicle was a threat

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents wounded after Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities, in an incident that has intensified scrutiny of military operations in the territory.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed on Friday evening in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron while travelling with his parents.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the family was driving from Bethlehem to visit relatives in Hebron when Israeli soldiers opened fire on their vehicle. The report said the baby suffered critical injuries after being struck in the face by the same bullet that wounded his mother. He later died from his injuries.

His father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand.

FATHER DESCRIBES DEADLY SHOOTING

Speaking from Al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron, the baby's father recounted the moments when the family vehicle came under fire.

"A bullet struck the car's windshield before piercing my hand, then my son and wife," he told reporters.

"It entered the child's face on the right side and exited on the left, then passed directly into his mother's face and exited on the other side, with shrapnel lodged near her heart."

He said his wife remains in critical condition because fragments from the bullet are lodged close to her heart.

The father also said doctors had not informed her that their son, who turned seven months old on Friday, had died.

GRANDMOTHER RECOUNTS HORRIFIC SCENE

The baby's grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, was also in the vehicle during the shooting.

She said the family had slowed and stopped near a checkpoint after noticing Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance.

According to her account, gunfire followed shortly afterwards.

"The scene was horrific to see a seven-month-old baby with a smashed face," she said.

"What kind of army in the world does this? What happened to my grandson can't be easily forgotten."

The baby's funeral was expected to take place later on Saturday.

ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS INCIDENT UNDER REVIEW

The Israeli military said an initial inquiry found that those injured were uninvolved civilians.

It said soldiers fired at a vehicle that was perceived to be accelerating towards them in the Hebron area.

According to the military, troops responded with single shots, wounding three Palestinians who were later evacuated for medical treatment.

The military said the circumstances of the incident are under review.

WEST BANK TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH

Israel has expanded military operations across the West Bank since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, triggering the war in Gaza.

The United Nations said last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the war began, including at least 240 children. It said 49 people had been killed since the start of this year alone.

The latest shooting comes months after another deadly incident in March, when Palestinian authorities said Israeli soldiers fired on a family car in the northern West Bank, killing four people, including two children.

Rights group Yesh Din has argued that accountability for alleged wrongdoing by Israeli soldiers remains rare. According to the organisation, fewer than one per cent of cases led to indictments from 2,427 complaints alleging misconduct between 2016 and 2024.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and claimed by Palestinians as part of a future independent state.

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With inputs from AP