Seven‑month‑old killed near Hebron

What's happened

A seven‑month‑old Palestinian boy, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, has been killed and his parents have been wounded after an Israeli soldier has fired at the family’s car in Tel Rumeida, south of Hebron. Rights group B'Tselem has released video that it says shows the vehicle was stopping, and Israel’s military has opened a Military Police investigation.

What's behind the headline?

What the footage shows

• B'Tselem has released two silent videos that it says show a soldier firing at a car that was slowing and preparing to stop near Checkpoint 17 in Tel Rumeida. One clip shows soldiers a few metres from the vehicle; another shows the family trying to treat the wounded after soldiers have left.

Where the accounts diverge

• The Israel Defense Forces has said troops perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them and that soldiers fired single shots and have opened a preliminary inquiry. B'Tselem and family witnesses say the car had stopped and posed no danger.

Immediate consequences

• A seven‑month‑old infant, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, has been killed. His father and mother have been wounded; the father has said a bullet passed through the windscreen, through his arm and struck the baby and his wife.

Institutional response and likely next steps

• The Military Police has opened a criminal investigation and will transfer findings to the Military Advocate General for review ahead of possible charges. This will determine whether soldiers face disciplinary or criminal proceedings, but past patterns indicate indictments will be rare.

Broader implications

• The release of clear video evidence will increase scrutiny on the IDF’s rules of engagement in occupied areas and will raise pressure on Israel’s military justice system to produce transparent findings. The case will likely fuel Palestinian anger and could increase tensions in Hebron and elsewhere in the West Bank.

Short forecast

• The investigation will continue and will shape immediate public reaction; if prosecutors bring charges this will force a rare public legal test of conduct by soldiers in the West Bank. If the probe closes without charges, protests and international criticism will intensify.

How we got here

Since October 2023 Israel has increased operations in the West Bank. Tel Rumeida is a long‑running flashpoint where Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents live close together under heavy military presence. Complaints against soldiers are rarely prosecuted, rights groups say.

Our analysis

Reuters has reported that the military has acknowledged the infant’s death and that a preliminary examination has prompted a Military Police investigation, saying the findings will be sent to the Military Advocate General (Reuters, 07 Jun). The Times of Israel has quoted the IDF statement that troops perceived a vehicle accelerating and has noted the Military Police probe and potential transfer to the Military Advocate General (Times of Israel, 07–10 Jun). B'Tselem has posted and released video it says contradicts the IDF account, saying "the vehicle posed no danger whatsoever" and showing soldiers near the car and family members attempting first aid after soldiers left the scene (B'Tselem via The New Arab, 10 Jun). Family statements given to AP and Reuters describe the father stopping the car and being shot through the windscreen; the father told reporters the bullet went through his arm and struck his son and wife (AP, Reuters, 06–07 Jun). Local and international outlets — including SBS, The New Arab, the Independent and the New York Times — have repeated the core facts: the infant’s death, the parents’ injuries and the IDF’s initial description that those injured were uninvolved civilians while it reviews the incident (SBS, 07 Jun; The New Arab, 05–10 Jun; Independent, 06 Jun; New York Times Business, 06 Jun). The coverage divides between the IDF’s initial claim of a perceived threat and B'Tselem and family accounts that the car was stopping; several outlets cite the father and grandmother describing the vehicle as halted when shots struck.

Go deeper

• Who, if anyone, will be charged after the Military Police investigation concludes?
• Will the released video prompt international agencies to demand an independent inquiry?
• How will local tensions in Tel Rumeida and Hebron respond to the family’s public statements and the investigation outcome?

More on these topics

• Hebron - City

  Hebron is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, 30 kilometres south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies 930 metres above sea level.

• West Bank

  The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by Israel to the south, west and north. The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.

• Israel - Country in the Middle East

  Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.

• Israel Defense Forces - Defense force

  The Israel Defense Forces, commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal, are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force, and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has

• WAFA - Palestinian news agency

  Wafa (Arabic: وفا, lit. 'trust', an acronym of Arabic: وكالة الأنباء الفلسطينية Wikalat al-Anba al-Filastiniya, lit. 'Palestinian News Agency'), also referred to in English as the Palestine News Agency and the Palestinian News

• Military Police

  Military police are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In different countries it may refer to:

• The Times of Israel - Website

  The Times of Israel is an Israel-based, primarily English-language online newspaper launched in 2012. It was co-founded by journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American hedge fund manager Seth Klarman.

• B'Tselem - Non-profit organization

  B'Tselem is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied territories, combat denial of the existence of such violations, and help to create a human rights culture in Israel.