Israeli forces shot dead a seven-month-old Palestinian baby and wounded his parents in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, reported Reuters quoting the Palestinian Health Ministry and local family members.
The ministry identified the infant as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal and said he was killed at the scene on Friday evening, while his parents sustained gunshot wounds and were being treated for injuries described as moderate.
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According to the baby's grandmother, the family was driving near Checkpoint 17 when they noticed Israeli military vehicles and soldiers ahead. She said they stopped the car after spotting the troops, but gunfire was then directed towards the vehicle.
"One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother's cheek where it lodged," she said, adding that the bullet had also grazed the father's finger and that the mother remained in hospital.
The Israeli military said that during operational activity in the Hebron area, soldiers believed a vehicle was accelerating towards them, prompting one soldier to fire single shots at the car. The military confirmed that three Palestinians were wounded and evacuated for medical treatment.
Following a preliminary inquiry, the military said those injured were "uninvolved civilians", adding that the incident remains under review and that its findings would be forwarded to the relevant authorities.
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Tel Rumeida, where Israeli settlers live under heavy military protection amid a large Palestinian population, has long been a flashpoint for tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank.
According to a 2024 European Union report, more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank alongside over 3 million Palestinians.
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