Israeli Soldiers Kill Seven-Month-Old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal in Hebron Car Shooting

Israeli soldiers opened fire on a car carrying Sam Fahd Abu Haikal and his family in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, killing the seven-month-old Palestinian baby and wounding his parents after the family stopped when ordered.

“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”

Al Jazeera

BBC reported that the Israel Defense Forces said a shot was fired when soldiers "perceived a threat" from the vehicle, while the family said they obeyed orders to stop and posed no danger.

Al Jazeera

Fahd Abu Haikal told Haaretz that "I brought the car to a complete halt and raised my hands on the steering wheel" before the soldiers opened fire, and the Guardian said the boy later died in hospital.

The incident unfolded in an area described as a flashpoint, with the Guardian noting Tel Rumeida is where Israeli settlers live among Palestinian residents and where there is a heavy Israeli military presence intended to provide protection for settlers.

Al Jazeera said the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Israeli forces opened fire "after the occupation forces opened fire on them" and that the infant was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

At Sam’s funeral on Saturday, Fahd Abu Haikal said the soldier opened fire and then "just walked away without a single word or a second thought," as he demanded accountability.

The Guardian reported that Abu Haikal rejected the military’s account and said, "The soldier was about 10 metres away from me. He saw me, he saw my wife and the children," while the IDF said the incident was under review.

BBC

Reuters cited by the BBC said the IDF acknowledged the family were "uninvolved civilians" and expressed "deep sorrow" over the incident, but the boy’s father dismissed the expression of regret.

Al Jazeera quoted Abu Haikal saying, "At the end they tell you it was a mistake," and added that "Nothing is called a mistake."

The dispute over what happened was framed differently across outlets, with the BBC emphasizing the IDF’s "perceived" threat account while the Guardian foregrounded the father’s insistence that the car was stationary and the soldier could see the family.

The shooting in Hebron was described as part of a broader escalation in the occupied West Bank, with the BBC saying there has been a severe escalation in deadly confrontations since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

“Israeli troops killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby boy after firing at his parents' vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said”

CBS News

BBC reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since then, and that at least 44 Israelis, civilians and soldiers, have been killed during the same period in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

The Guardian added that the family’s death came as Israeli troops operating in Tamoun in the northern Jordan valley opened fire on a vehicle on 15 March, killing Ali Bani Odeh, Waad Bani Odeh, and their sons Othman and Mohammad.

In the Gaza war context, the BBC said Israel launched a massive retaliatory operation in the Gaza Strip that has resulted in the death of more than 70,600 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Al Jazeera also tied the incident to the wider war, saying violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023 and that Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank since then.