Full Breakdown
Israeli Soldier’s Shooting of Palestinian Infant in Hebron Raises Accountability Questions
6/10/2026, 8:26:51 PM
Incident and Context
On 7 June 2026, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier opened fire on a civilian vehicle near Tel Rumeida, Hebron. A bullet pierced the windshield, right hand, and killed seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal; his mother Dania Salameh, father Fahd Abu Haikal, brother Kinan (11) and grandmother Feryal were wounded. The shooter and a companion left without assisting. The family had stopped after soldiers signaled them to halt. Military Police Criminal Investigation Division opened a formal inquiry. Shooting took place amid heightened Israeli military activity and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, where the Tel Rumeida enclave is surrounded by an Israeli settlement deemed illegal under international law.
Responses and Perspectives
The IDF said soldiers “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them” and fired “single shots,” classifying the three injured as civilians and expressing “deep sorrow.” B’Tselem’s video, however, shows the car slowing and stationary, “far from the soldiers and posed no danger.” Executive director Yuli Novak warned that “the immunity it gets from the international community has led to a reality where, under Israeli rule, Palestinian lives are entirely disposable – even a seven-month-old baby.” Father Fahd Abu Haikal said the bullet entered the stopped car. Grandmother Feryal called the act “what kind of army in the world does this?” Yesh Din reports fewer than 1 % of 2,427 complaints (2016-2024) led to indictments; only one soldier received a three-month community-service sentence.
Implications and Outlook
UN data record 1,095 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since Oct 2023, including 240 children; 49 occurred in 2026. B’Tselem counts 1,032 West Bank deaths, 234 minors. The gap between official narratives and video evidence fuels accusations of impunity and may pressure international actors to demand accountability. The Military Police investigation will decide whether disciplinary or criminal charges are warranted. Fahd Abu Haikal plans to file a legal case against the shooter, though he doubts accountability. Human-rights groups say they will monitor the probe and continue documenting civilian casualties in the West Bank.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The car was completely stationary when he shot at us, it wasn’t moving at all. A seven-month-old infant killed in cold blood. He didn’t deserve this.” — Fahd Abu Haikal, father
- “There was no clear checkpoint, just soldiers standing in the street.” — Fahd Abu Haikal, father
- “What kind of army in the world does this?” — Feryal Abu Haikal, grandmother
- “The footage clearly shows that the Israeli soldier fired at the car as it was slowing to a stop. The car was far from the soldiers and posed no danger to them whatsoever,” — B’Tselem, Israeli Information Center for Human Rights
