Israeli soldiers open fire on a Palestinian family’s car in Tel Rumeida, south of Hebron, killing a seven-month-old boy, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, on Friday, according to Palestinian officials and multiple outlets. The family says the driver stopped when ordered, and video shared by human rights groups and reported by The Guardian appears to show the vehicle slowing and stopping before the shots. The baby’s father, Fahd Abu Haikal, says a soldier signalled him to stop, and that after the car came to a complete halt—along with people inside including the baby, his mother, an 11-year-old brother and the grandmother—soldiers fired at the vehicle. The grandmother and other family members describe the shooting as deliberate rather than warning shots. The Palestinian Ministry of Health and reports from Wafa say Sam’s mother was injured and Sam’s father was shot in the hand.
The Israeli army says the incident is under review. The family and outlets reporting on the case call for accountability and an investigation. Separate coverage also notes wider context of reported Israeli killings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 2023, and that punishment for soldiers in such incidents is rare, according to rights groups.
