An Israeli human rights organization has released video footage that it says contradicts the Israeli military's account of an incident in which a soldier allegedly killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal died, and his parents sustained minor injuries, when Israeli forces opened fire on the family's car in Hebron, a city in the occupied West Bank, last week.
Incident Details
The shooting occurred on Friday. The military initially stated that its forces fired after soldiers perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them. However, the footage published by the NGO B'Tselem on social media platform X shows the car slowing down and coming to a halt as it approached two Israeli soldiers. The video does not capture the moment troops opened fire but shows the Palestinian family outside their vehicle after the shooting, with the baby bleeding in his father's arms.
Investigation and Response
Shortly after the incident, the military announced it was opening an investigation and noted that an initial inquiry found the Palestinian couple and their baby were uninvolved civilians. B'Tselem further accused the soldiers of failing to provide aid to the wounded. In a statement on X, the organization said: After the shooting, the soldier who opened fire and another soldier who was with him left the scene without checking the vehicle and without providing aid to the critically injured infant and his mother. The army told AFP it was checking the footage published by the NGO.
Father's Reaction
At Sam's funeral on Saturday, his father Fahd Abu Haikal rejected suggestions that the shooting was a mistake. When more than one bullet is fired, when there is no warning shot and no warning at all, it cannot be a mistake, he said.
Context of Violence
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence has escalated sharply in the Palestinian territory since the Gaza war began in 2023. According to an AFP tally based on figures from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, including many militants but also scores of civilians. In the same period, at least 44 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.
