HEBRON, WEST BANK — Israeli troops fired at a vehicle in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron City on Friday evening, killing seven-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal. The Palestinian health ministry reported the infant's death.
The infant's mother sustained critical wounds, with shrapnel lodged near her heart. Fahd Abdul Aziz Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University and the infant's father, received a gunshot wound to his hand during the incident.
The Israeli military stated that soldiers perceived the vehicle was accelerating toward them in the Hebron area. The military reported responding with single shots, wounding three Palestinians who were evacuated for medical treatment. An initial inquiry determined the injured individuals were uninvolved civilians, and the situation is under review, according to the Israeli military.
"It entered the child's face on the right side and exited on the left, then passed directly into his mother's face and exited on the other side, with shrapnel lodged near her heart," said Fahd Abdul Aziz Abu Haikal, the infant's father. The infant's grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, said, "One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother's cheek where it lodged." She added, "The scene was horrific to see a seven-month-old baby with a smashed face."
The infant's funeral was scheduled for Saturday. Since October 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, including at least 240 children, according to the United Nations. Approximately 700,000 Israelis reside in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967.