A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was tragically killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank, with his parents also injured in the incident.
The occupied West Bank witnessed a tragic incident on June 6, 2026, when Israeli troops fired upon a family vehicle, resulting in the death of a seven-month-old Palestinian baby and injuries to his parents. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the infant as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, whose parents were also wounded during the shooting in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron City.
The father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand while driving to visit family in Hebron. The bullet that pierced the child’s face also struck his mother, leaving her in critical condition with shrapnel near her heart.
The family was devastated, with the father carrying his son’s body wrapped in a Palestinian flag.
The Incident and Its Aftermath
The Israeli military stated that soldiers shot at a vehicle they perceived as accelerating towards them in the Hebron area.
An initial inquiry found that the injured were uninvolved civilians, and the situation was under review. The father recounted that a bullet struck the car’s windshield before piercing his hand and hitting his son and wife in the back seat. Another bullet struck the bonnet, according to journalists who inspected the vehicle.
The baby’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, who was also in the car, described the harrowing experience. She mentioned that they were driving near a checkpoint and stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers. As the forces fired at them, she initially thought the shots were warnings. The grandmother detailed how a bullet traversed the baby’s face, crossed his head, and struck his mother’s cheek, where it lodged.
International Reactions and Accountability
The British Consulate in Jerusalem expressed shock and sadness over the killing, calling for an immediate and transparent investigation and accountability. The incident has highlighted the rare instances of Israeli soldiers being penalized for harming Palestinians. According to Israeli rights group Yesh Din, soldiers were indicted in fewer than 1% of cases based on 2,427 complaints alleging wrongdoing between 2016 and 2026.
Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2026, which triggered the war in Gaza, Israel’s military has intensified operations in the West Bank. The United Nations reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war began, with at least 240 of them being children.
Ongoing Tensions and Ceasefire Talks
On the same day, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that eight people were wounded in settler attacks on the town of Huwara, near Nablus. The injuries were due to tear gas inhalation and rubber-coated metal bullets. Israeli soldiers dispersed riots that broke out between Israelis and Palestinians after a reported theft of livestock. The military acknowledged footage showing a soldier using violence against a Palestinian and stated that it was under review.
In Gaza City, an Israeli strike killed at least seven people, including two women, a girl, and her father, all from the same family, according to Shifa hospital. The Israeli military claimed to have targeted “terrorists” in the area. Meanwhile, Hamas announced that negotiators chaired by Khalil al-Hayyah began a new round of talks in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The talks aimed to break a deadlock and move forward in implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal, which began in October.
The fragile ceasefire has seen near-daily attacks in the territory, and the talks also discussed approaches acceptable to all parties to implement the second phase. This includes the entry of an international stabilization force and addressing the weapons of Palestinian militant groups. Disarming Hamas has been a key challenge in the ongoing conflict.
