The Israeli Defence Force fatally shot a seven-month-old Palestinian infant in the Tel Rumeida area south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday evening, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The forces also injured his parents in the shooting.
The Ministry identified the baby as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal and confirmed he died at the scene, while his parents suffered gunshot wounds and were in moderate condition.
According to the infant’s grandmother, the family was driving near Checkpoint 17 when they saw Israeli military forces in the distance and stopped the car. The grandmother said the forces subsequently fired shots at them.
“One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother’s cheek where it lodged,” she said.
She also added that the bullet grazed the father’s finger and that the mother was taken to the hospital.
The Israeli military claimed that during operational activity in Hebron on Friday, the soldiers perceived a vehicle moving towards them. A soldier reportedly fired single shots at the vehicle. It said three Palestinians were wounded and evacuated for medical treatment.
The military said an initial military inquiry found that the attacked Palestinians were “uninvolved civilians” and added that the incident was under review, with the findings set to be submitted to the relevant authorities.
Tel Rumeida is an area of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where Israeli settlers live under heavy military protection.
According to a European Union report in 2024, over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank among more tha 3 million Palestinians.
As per a report published by UNICEF in May 2025, more than 50,000 Palestinian children have reportedly been killed or injured since October 2023. Save the Children reported on September 2025 that at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza alone since 2023.
