On January 12, Israeli forces opened fire on a car in the city of Hebron, West Bank, killing a 7-month-old boy named Sam Fahd Abou Haikal and wounding his parents. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the information, adding that the incident occurred after “the occupation forces fired at them.”
Dr. Tareq Barbarawi, who treated the infant, said the baby was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to severe injuries. The grandmother of the victim, Ferial Abu Haikal, told the Wafa news agency that the family was “completely surprised” when Israeli soldiers opened fire, even though the car “had come to a full stop.” She stressed: “There was no danger or justifiable reason to open fire.”
On the Israeli side, the military posted on social media platform X that during a “combat activity,” soldiers “identified a vehicle accelerating toward them.” They said they responded with “single shots at the vehicle,” wounding “three Palestinians who were evacuated for medical treatment.” An initial investigation concluded that “the wounded were uninvolved civilians.” The Israeli military said the matter is under further review.
Violence in the West Bank has surged dramatically since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023. According to AFP statistics based on data from the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1,080 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers since then.
