Israeli soldier shoots 7-month-old boy in occupied West Bank

A 7-month-old boy was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier near Hebron in the occupied West Bank earlier this month. His father, Fahd Abu Haikal, told NBC News on Friday that he had stopped the car when he saw a soldier pointing a weapon at the vehicle.

He said the soldier then opened fire without warning. One bullet struck the father’s hand before hitting the child in the head. The boy’s mother, Dania Salameh, was also injured.

Initial military account The Israeli military initially said troops had perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them during operational activity. It later stated that the incident is under investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.

Video obtained by the Israeli rights organization B’Tselem shows the car stopping well before reaching the soldiers. The organization said the footage indicates the vehicle posed no danger.

Family statements Fahd Abu Haikal said he held his son in the morning while the child was laughing and warm, then held him again in the evening after the body had gone cold. He described the shooting as the killing of an innocent child who posed no danger.

The family buried the boy seven months after his birth. The mother underwent surgery on her jaw and chest. The father’s 80-year-old mother and an older son were also in the car and survived without injury.