DaysofPal – The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem published new video footage on Tuesday showing the moment an Israeli soldier shot and killed a seven-month-old Palestinian infant in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
According to the organization, the footage captures the shooting of the Abu Heikal family, resulting in the death of baby Sam Abu Heikal and the injury of both his parents.
B’Tselem said the video clearly shows that the soldiers opened fire at the family’s vehicle while it was slowing down in preparation to stop and posed no threat.
The footage reportedly shows the father holding the infant and attempting to stop bleeding from his head, while the mother, who was also wounded while holding the child, is seen sitting on the ground beside the car.
The incident took place last Friday, June 5, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, as the family was returning from a visit.
According to B’Tselem, the father slowed the vehicle after noticing soldiers on the road, at which point one of them fired multiple shots toward the car.
The infant, who was seated in his mother’s arms in the back seat, was struck in the head and later pronounced dead. His parents sustained gunshot wounds and remain hospitalized.
B’Tselem added that the soldiers left the scene immediately after the shooting without inspecting the vehicle or providing assistance to the injured infant and his mother.
The organization stated that more than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank over the past two and a half years, attributing the situation to systemic impunity granted to soldiers and settlers.
Commenting on the incident, B’Tselem Director Yuli Novak said that international inaction has contributed to a reality in which Palestinian lives are treated as expendable.
The Israeli occupation acknowledged that its forces fired at the vehicle, killing the child.
It later stated that the individuals involved were not connected to any hostile activity and that an investigation into the incident is underway.
The event comes amid rising tensions in the West Bank, alongside ongoing military operations in Gaza, with continued raids, arrests, and increasing settler-related violence across Palestinian territories.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=75279
