Israeli forces fatally shoot Palestinian infant, wound parents in West Bank

The infant’s mother is in critical condition, with shrapnel close to the heart, according to her husband.

Israeli soldier shoots Palestinian baby dead near Hebron

Israeli forces opened fire on a car in the occupied West Bank, killing a seven-month-old boy and wounding his parents.

Sam Fahd Abou Haikal was killed and his parents injured in the city of Hebron on Friday “after the occupation forces opened fire on them”, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Dr Tareq Barbarawi told the AFP news agency that the infant was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

The infant’s grandmother, who was also in the car during the incident, told the Wafa news agency they were “surprised” when the Israeli soldiers fired at them although their vehicle was “completely stopped”.

“There was no danger or justification for firing,” she said.

The infant’s father, Fahd Abu Haikal, told The Associated Press that a bullet struck the car’s windshield before piercing his right hand and striking his son and wife in the back seat

“He was the entire world,” Haikal said of his child, who had turned seven months on Friday.

Haikal said his wife was in critical condition, with shrapnel close to her heart.

The Israeli military said in a post on X that during “operational activity”, the soldiers “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them”.

It said the soldiers responded with “single shots toward the vehicle” and as a result, “three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment”.

An initial inquiry found “those injured were uninvolved civilians”, the Israeli military said, adding that the incident was under review.

Haikal demanded justice. “At the end they tell you it was a mistake,” he said. “Nothing is called a mistake.”

Violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.

Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank since, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data.