Israeli forces kill a Palestinian baby after firing at car in the West Bank, health ministry says
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Baby in West Bank, Health Ministry Confirms
Israeli forces kill a Palestinian baby in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The incident involved the fatal shooting of seven-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal during an attack on his family’s vehicle in Tel Rumeida, south of Hebron City. The ministry confirmed the child’s death, describing the event as a tragic outcome of ongoing military activity in the region.
A Family's Tragedy Amid Escalating Conflict
The attack occurred as the family was traveling to visit relatives in Hebron. Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the infant was critically wounded when a bullet struck his face, causing severe injuries. His mother also sustained harm from the same projectile, while his father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand. The incident has sparked outrage among local residents and human rights advocates.
"The scene was horrific—seeing a seven-month-old baby with a smashed face," said Feryal Abu Heikal, the child's grandmother, who was in the vehicle during the shooting. "What kind of army does this? ... My grandson's death will never be forgotten."
Photographs from the Associated Press depict the baby’s carseat positioned behind the driver’s seat and reveal damage to the car’s windshield, including at least one bullet hole. The family had stopped near a checkpoint, observing Israeli military vehicles in the distance before the attack. The timing of the incident has raised questions about the proportionality of military actions in the area.
Context of the Conflict and IDF Response
Israeli forces have intensified operations in the West Bank since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which left over 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken. The conflict has resulted in more than 72,900 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Despite this, the ministry remains a key source of information on casualties in the West Bank.
An IDF spokesperson told CBS News that soldiers "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" in the Hebron region and fired single shots in response. The statement noted three Palestinians were injured and evacuated, but did not specify their ages or genders. The spokesperson added that the incident is under investigation and that the IDF expresses sorrow for any harm caused to civilians.
At Al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron, Abu Haikal described the sequence of events: "A bullet struck the car’s windshield before piercing my hand, then my son and wife." He explained that the projectile entered the child’s face on the right side, exited on the left, and passed into his mother’s face, with shrapnel lodged near her heart. The mother remains in critical condition, unaware that her son, who turned seven months old on Friday, has died.
The British consulate in Jerusalem expressed "shock and sadness" over the incident, urging for an "immediate and transparent investigation and accountability." The UN reported that over 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 240 children, have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the war began. At least 49 casualties were documented in 2026 alone, underscoring the scale of violence in the area.
According to Israeli rights group Yesh Din, soldiers accused of harming Palestinians face penalties in less than 1% of cases. Between 2016 and 2024, 2,427 complaints were filed, yet only a small fraction led to indictments. Over 700,000 Israelis reside in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories seized from Jordan in 1967. The group highlights a pattern of accountability gaps in military operations.