A seven-month-old Palestinian baby has been killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli forces reportedly fired at a vehicle carrying the child and his parents, according to health officials.
Hebron: A seven-month-old Palestinian infant, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was killed on Friday evening in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials. The baby’s parents were also wounded in the incident.
The Palestinian health ministry said the family was travelling from Bethlehem to visit relatives in Hebron when their vehicle came under fire.
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Conflicting accounts of the shooting
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the infant was critically injured after being struck in the jaw by a bullet that also wounded his mother. He later died from his injuries. His father, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand.
The Israeli military said soldiers opened fire on a vehicle that was perceived to be accelerating towards them in the Hebron area. It added that troops fired single shots and that three Palestinians were injured and taken for medical treatment. The army has stated that an initial inquiry suggests the injured were uninvolved civilians and that the incident is under review.
Wider context of West Bank violence
The incident comes amid heightened military operations in the West Bank following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which escalated the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to United Nations figures cited in the report, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war began, including at least 240 children. The UN also noted dozens of additional deaths since the start of this year.
Ongoing tensions and accountability concerns
Human rights groups have long raised concerns about accountability in cases involving Israeli soldiers and Palestinian casualties. Reports cited in the article suggest that disciplinary action is rare in such cases.
The Israeli government maintains that its forces operate in response to security threats across the occupied territories, which include more than 700,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The incident is under ongoing review by Israeli military authorities.
(With AP inputs)
Published: 06 Jun 2026, 01:59 pm IST
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