Key Facts

• A seven-month-old Palestinian baby named Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed after Israeli soldiers fired at his family’s car near Hebron.
• The baby was hit by a bullet that also wounded his mother in the face; she is in critical condition with shrapnel near her heart.
• The baby’s father, Fahd Abu Haikal, was shot in the hand and is a university lecturer.
• The family was driving from Bethlehem to Hebron when soldiers opened fire at the vehicle.
• The Israeli military said soldiers fired single shots after thinking the vehicle was speeding toward them; three Palestinians were injured.
• An initial Israeli investigation said the injured people were uninvolved civilians and the incident is being reviewed.
• The British consulate and the United Nations called for protection of civilians and investigations into the incident.
• The West Bank has seen increased violence since the October 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s military response, with many deaths reported on both sides.