A tragic incident in the occupied West Bank has led to the death of a seven-month-old Palestinian baby, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, and the injury of his parents, after Israeli troops opened fire on their family car in Hebron’s Tel Rumeida area. The family reportedly complied with an order to stop their vehicle before the shooting occurred. The infant was critically wounded and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, while his parents also sustained injuries.

According to the baby's father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, the family was driving through Hebron on Friday evening when soldiers signaled for their vehicle to halt. Abu Haikal stated he brought the car to a complete stop and raised his hands on the steering wheel, but immediately afterwards, soldiers opened fire. He recounted to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that "a bullet passed through his hand and struck his son, Sam, who was being held by his mother in the back seat." The family, which included the couple’s 11-year-old son and Abu Haikal’s mother, Feryal Abu Haikal, were all present in the car during the horrific event.

Fahd Abu Haikal emphasized that it was still daylight and the soldier who opened fire was approximately 10 meters away, with clear visibility of the occupants as the car's windows were not tinted. He asserted that the soldier could clearly see it was a family in the vehicle, directly refuting any claims of lack of awareness. "I stopped as I was instructed to, and then they simply shot at the car," he told Haaretz, adding there was "no clear checkpoint, just soldiers standing in the street." He called for a thorough investigation into the incident and demanded accountability for the soldier responsible, stating, "This case must not be closed without an investigation and without accountability. At the very least, I do not intend to give up."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially claimed troops "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" and one soldier "responded with single shots toward the vehicle." However, an initial inquiry reportedly found that those injured were uninvolved civilians. The IDF stated that "the incident is under review" and expressed "deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals," though this was rejected by Abu Haikal who maintained his family's full compliance and the soldier's clear view.

This incident follows a similar tragic event on March 15 in Tamoun, in the northern Jordan valley, where Israeli troops opened fire on another vehicle, killing a Palestinian couple, Ali Bani Odeh (38) and his wife Waad Bani Odeh (36), along with two of their children, Othman (six) and Mohammad (five). The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reported that two other children from the vehicle, Khaled (11) and Mustafa (eight), suffered minor shrapnel injuries and Khaled was subjected to a violent interrogation at the scene. B’Tselem also stated that the military initially obstructed ambulances from reaching the area and later confiscated the family's bullet-riddled vehicle.

The broader context of these killings highlights a concerning trend. The United Nations reported last month that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the onset of the current conflict, with at least 240 of them being children. This year alone, 49 people have been killed in these areas.