Israeli gunfire kills Palestinian baby near Hebron in occupied West Bank

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby has been killed after Israeli troops shot at a car near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry and the family. The child, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was buried in Hebron on Saturday local time after the shooting on Friday evening. Both parents were wounded in the incident, and the mother was reported to be in critical condition.

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The Palestinian health ministry said a bullet hit the baby in the face. The father, Fahd Abu Haikal, said a bullet struck the windshield before piercing his right hand and hitting his son and wife in the back seat. He said another bullet struck the hood, and described the child as having turned seven months old on Friday.

The family said they were driving near a checkpoint when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance. The Israeli military said soldiers fired at a vehicle perceived to be accelerating toward them near Hebron. It said an initial inquiry found the three Palestinians wounded were uninvolved civilians.

The family disputes that account, and the father said he refuses to believe the shooting could have been a mistake. The baby's grandmother, Feryal Abu Haikal, said she initially thought the gunfire was warning shots. The case comes amid a period of heightened violence in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

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Israeli military activity and settler violence against Palestinians have surged in the territory over that period, according to the supplied material. Hebron is one of the most sensitive cities in the West Bank, and shootings there often draw close scrutiny because of the presence of checkpoints and Israeli forces. The incident also raises questions about the use of live fire in a civilian setting and the standards applied by soldiers at checkpoints and on roads near military positions.

The supplied material says Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are seldom penalised, citing a rights group's data on complaints and indictments between 2016 and 2024. That broader context has made cases involving civilian casualties especially contentious, particularly when the victims are children. What remains unclear is the exact sequence of events, including how the vehicle was moving, how many shots were fired and what immediate threat the soldiers believed they faced.

The military says the case is under review, while the family maintains the shooting was not a mistake. Further official findings and medical or forensic detail will be needed to establish responsibility and whether the response was proportionate.

#Hebron #WestBank #Israelimilitary #Palestinianhealthministry #civiliancasualty

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