Israeli forces shot dead a 7-month-old Palestinian boy and wounded his parents in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
The ministry said Sam Fahad Abu Haykal was riding in a car with his parents when Israeli soldiers opened fire on the car near the city of Hebron. Haikal was killed in the shooting and his parents were also injured.
The boy’s grandmother, Firiyal Abu Haykal, told Reuters that one bullet hit the car, killing the infant. “This incident is unbelievable and unacceptable,” she told Reuters. “We are being harmed simply by choosing to stay home.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the soldiers “perceived” a vehicle accelerating towards them. The Israel Defense Forces said a soldier fired one shot at the vehicle and confirmed that the injured were “civilians not involved.”
The IDF said the incident was under investigation.
Incidents like this have happened before. In March, Palestinian authorities reported that four members of the same Palestinian family, including two boys aged 5 and 7, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank as they broke their daily Ramadan fast for a late-night drive.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
