A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents wounded after Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the incident occurred Friday evening in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron. The infant, identified as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was struck in the face by a bullet and later died. His father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand, while his mother was also injured.
According to the family, they were travelling to visit relatives in Hebron when the shooting occurred. The father said a bullet pierced the child’s face before hitting his wife.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired at a vehicle they believed was accelerating toward them in the Hebron area. It added that troops fired several shots, wounding three Palestinians, and that an initial inquiry indicated the occupants were uninvolved civilians. The incident is under review.
Family members said the mother remains in critical condition, with shrapnel lodged near her heart.
During the funeral, the infant’s body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag as mourners gathered to pay their respects. The father called for accountability, rejecting suggestions that the shooting could be dismissed as a mistake.
The British Consulate in Jerusalem expressed shock over the child's death and called for an immediate, transparent investigation.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, where violence has surged since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 240 children, have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the conflict began.
Separately on Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that eight people were injured during clashes involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the town of Huwara near Nablus.
Israel’s military said the violence erupted following a reported livestock theft and that troops intervened to disperse the confrontation. It also said footage showing a soldier using force against a Palestinian was under review.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a tent near a school in Gaza City killed at least six people, including two women, according to officials at Shifa Hospital.
Israel’s military said it had targeted militants operating in the area.
At the same time, Hamas announced that a new round of ceasefire negotiations had begun in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The talks are aimed at advancing implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and addressing issues related to a possible second phase of the deal.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said discussions would focus on ending Israeli attacks in Gaza, advancing ceasefire arrangements and exploring proposals related to an international stabilization force and the future of weapons held by Palestinian armed groups.