Israeli troops shot at a car in the occupied West Bank on Friday, killing a 7-month-old Palestinian boy and wounding his parents near Hebron, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The infant, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was struck in the face by a bullet that passed through the car's windshield.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired at a vehicle they perceived as accelerating toward them along Route 60 near Tappuah settlement checkpoint. An initial inquiry found that the three Palestinians wounded were uninvolved civilians, according to the IDF.
What the Left Is Saying
Human rights organizations and progressive lawmakers renewed calls for accountability following the incident, citing data on rare prosecutions of Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians.
"What kind of army in the world does this?" said Feryal Abu Heikal, the baby's grandmother who was also in the vehicle. She told AP journalists they had stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and initially thought the gunfire were warning shots.
Israeli rights group Yesh Din documented that soldiers were indicted in fewer than 1% of cases based on 2,427 complaints alleging wrongdoing between 2016 and 2024. The United Nations reported last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 240 children, have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the war in Gaza began.
What the Right Is Saying
Israeli officials maintain their forces operate within rules of engagement to protect soldiers from perceived threats and say they are committed to investigating incidents involving civilian harm.
The Israeli military said it was aware of footage showing a soldier using violence against a Palestinian near Huwara on Saturday, adding that the incident was under review. The IDF stated that riots broke out between Israelis and Palestinians after a reported theft of livestock, with rocks and batons used before soldiers dispersed crowds.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has not commented directly on this incident. Supporters of the Israeli government note that forces face complex security situations in the West Bank amid ongoing tensions from the Gaza war.
What the Numbers Show
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported more than 1,000 Palestinian casualties in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since October 2023. Yesh Din data shows indictment rates below 1% for complaints against soldiers filed over an eight-year period through 2024. The baby's father, Bethlehem University lecturer Fahd Abu Haikal, said a bullet struck his right hand before hitting his wife and son in the back seat. The mother was listed in critical condition with shrapnel near her heart. Palestinian Red Crescent reported eight people wounded in separate settler attacks on Huwara on Saturday.
The Bottom Line
The killing of an infant during what Israeli authorities describe as a perceived threat incident highlights ongoing tensions in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Israeli military activity and settler violence have surged across the territory, where more than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements the international community overwhelmingly considers illegal. The IDF says its initial inquiry found the wounded were uninvolved civilians; Palestinian officials say they are seeking an investigation.