A seven-month-old Palestinian baby, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was killed on Friday when Israeli troops opened fire on his parents' vehicle in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, according to Palestinian health officials. The same bullet that injured the baby's mother also struck him in the face, leading to his death shortly after he was taken to a hospital. The baby's father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand. He reported that a bullet passed through his hand and struck his son and wife in the back seat. The family was reportedly traveling to visit relatives when the shooting took place.

The Israeli military stated that soldiers fired at a vehicle they perceived as accelerating toward them. An initial inquiry by the military suggested that the individuals wounded were uninvolved civilians, and the situation is under review.

The killing of the infant has drawn widespread condemnation. The British Consulate in Jerusalem expressed shock and sadness, calling for an immediate and transparent investigation and accountability.

This incident occurs amid a significant surge in Israeli military activity and settler violence in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Data from human rights organizations indicates a concerning trend of child casualties in the West Bank. Between January 2023 and February 2025, at least 224 children were killed by Israeli forces or settlers, accounting for nearly half of all child deaths recorded since 2005. Reports also highlight that Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are rarely penalized, with indictments in less than 1% of cases between 2016 and 2024.

In a similar incident in March, Israeli troops in the northern Jordan Valley opened fire on a vehicle, resulting in the deaths of a Palestinian couple and their two young children.