7-month-old baby killed after Israeli troops open fire on a car, Palestinian health officials say

By — Mahmoud Illean, Associated Press Mahmoud Illean, Associated Press By — Samy Magdy, Associated Press Samy Magdy, Associated Press By — Sam Mednick, Associated Press Sam Mednick, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/7-month-old-baby-killed-after-israeli-troops-open-fire-on-a-car-palestinian-health-officials-say Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 7-month-old baby killed after Israeli troops open fire on a car, Palestinian health officials say World Jun 6, 2026 12:16 PM EDT HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian health ministry said that a 7-month-old baby was killed after Israeli troops opened fired at his parents' vehicle in the occupied West Bank, with the bullet striking the boy in the face. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed Friday evening and his parents were wounded while driving in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron, the ministry said. His father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a Bethlehem University lecturer, was shot in the hand. They had been traveling to visit family in Hebron, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said. READ MORE: Trump acknowledges calling Netanyahu 'crazy,' says Israel is complicating peace talks with Iran "A bullet pierced the child's face from the right side and exited from the left side," and then it struck the boy's mother, the father said. "He was the entire world," Haikal added. The boy turned seven months on Friday. The Israeli military said that soldiers shot at a vehicle perceived to be accelerating toward them in the Hebron area. It said that the soldiers responded with single shots, wounding three Palestinians, and an initial inquiry found they were uninvolved civilians. The situation was under review. The father told Associated Press journalists that a bullet struck the car's windshield before piercing his right hand and striking his son and wife in the back seat. Another bullet struck the hood, according to AP journalists who saw the car. Haikal said his wife was in critical condition, with shrapnel close to her heart. The family told her that her son was killed just before heading to funeral prayers. The baby's body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag. His father carried him. The men placed the small bundle at their feet and bowed in prayer. READ MORE: Israel and Lebanon agree to renew fragile ceasefire, create Lebanese security zones The father demanded justice. "At the end they tell you it was a mistake," he said. "Nothing is called a mistake." The baby's grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, was also in the car during the shooting, and she said that they were driving near a checkpoint and stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance. As the forces fired at them, she initially thought it was warning shots, she said. "The scene was horrific to see a 7-month-old baby with a smashed face," she said. "What kind of army in the world does this?" The British Consulate in Jerusalem said on X tha