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Infant dies after Israeli troops open fire in Hebron
A seven-month-old Palestinian boy was killed on Friday when Israeli soldiers shot at a family car in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry reported.
Victim and injuries
The ministry identified the infant as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal. His parents were also wounded in the incident near Tel Rumeida, south of Hebron.
The child's grandmother told Reuters the family had stopped their vehicle upon seeing Israeli military vehicles ahead. She said soldiers fired shots that the family initially thought were warnings.
"One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother's cheek where it lodged."
Victim's grandmother
The bullet also grazed the father's finger, the grandmother added. The mother remains hospitalized.
IDF account and response
The Israel Defense Forces stated that troops "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" and that a soldier "responded with single shots."
The IDF confirmed three Palestinians were injured and later received medical treatment. It called the event "under review" and expressed "deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals."
Wider context
The killing brings the Palestinian death toll in the West Bank to over 1,000 since the Gaza war began on 7 October 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel.
During that attack, approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 abducted, according to Israeli authorities.
In Gaza, more than 70,600 people have died in Israeli military operations since October, the Hamas-run health ministry reports.
