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Israeli Troops Fire on Car in West Bank, Killing Seven-Month-Old Boy
A seven-month-old Palestinian boy was killed Friday evening when Israeli troops fired at his family's vehicle near Hebron. His parents and grandmother were also in the car and sustained injuries.
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Israeli troops fired on a vehicle carrying a Palestinian family in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron City on Friday evening, killing seven-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, the Palestinian health ministry said. The same bullet that struck the boy in the face also wounded his mother, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
His father was shot in the hand. The family was traveling from Bethlehem to visit relatives in Hebron when soldiers opened fire, WAFA reported. Photos from the Associated Press show at least one bullet hole in the windshield and the child's car seat positioned behind the driver's seat.
Israel's military said soldiers perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them and responded by firing single shots. The statement said three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment. The spokesperson added that an initial inquiry found the injured were uninvolved civilians, that the incident is under review, and that the military expresses deep sorrow for harm to uninvolved individuals.
Hospital in Hebron, the father told Associated Press reporters that a bullet struck the windshield, pierced his hand, then struck his son and wife. He said the round entered the child's face on the right side and exited on the left before passing into the mother's face.
The mother remains in critical condition with shrapnel near her heart, he said. The grandmother, who was also in the car, told reporters they had stopped near a checkpoint when they saw military vehicles and soldiers, initially believing the shots were warnings.
The baby's funeral is scheduled for later Saturday. The British consulate in Jerusalem said it was shocked and saddened and called for an immediate and transparent investigation. The United Nations reported last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since October 2023, including at least 240 children.
Forty-nine people have been killed since the start of 2026, it said.
