Funeral for Baby Sam Abu Haikal
The funeral has been held for seven-month-old Palestinian infant Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, who was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier while traveling in a car with his family in Hebron, located in the occupied West Bank.
According to the Israeli military, a shot was fired when soldiers "perceived a threat" from the vehicle in the Tel Rumeida area on Friday evening.
The family maintains that they complied with soldiers' orders to stop and posed no danger.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged that the family were "uninvolved civilians" and expressed "deep sorrow" over the incident. However, the boy's father has dismissed the IDF's expression of regret.
The body of Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was laid to rest in Hebron the day after he sustained a fatal gunshot wound inflicted by an Israeli soldier's bullet.
His father, Fahd, was accompanied by mourners as he carried his small shrouded body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag, to the graveyard.
Details of the Shooting Incident
On Friday, Fahd was driving Sam and other family members home from a day trip in Bethlehem. They were nearing the Israeli checkpoint just before their home.
Local residents showed where the car was struck halfway up the hill approaching the checkpoint.
Fahd and Sam's grandmother, Firyal, who was also in the car, provided their accounts of the events that followed.
Firyal stated that the family stopped the car upon seeing Israeli soldiers approaching from a side road to their left. Fahd said he raised his hands after bringing the vehicle to a halt.
Both recounted that gunshots were then fired.
"The bullets struck the car," Fahd said.
"The soldier that shot at us was 10m away. The bullet penetrated the front windshield, went through my arm, and then struck my son in the head and my wife in the face."
Sam died from his wound in hospital, while his mother remains under treatment.
At the location of the shooting, local residents pointed out what they said were traces of blood on the road.
One local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, reported hearing just two shots fired and noted that approximately four soldiers were present at the scene.
In its statement regarding the shooting, the Israeli military said a single shot was fired after soldiers "perceived a vehicle accelerating towards them."
However, the IDF has confirmed that the family were "uninvolved civilians" and that the incident is under review.
Fahd dismissed the Israeli expression of regret, stating: "When more than one bullet is fired, when there's no warning shot and no warning at all, it can't be a mistake!"
Context of Tel Rumeida and Regional Tensions
Tel Rumeida has long been a flashpoint. It is an area of Hebron where Israeli settlers reside among Palestinian residents. A heavy Israeli military presence is maintained to provide protection for the settlers.
Local Palestinian residents noted that Sam's family home is located just beyond an Israeli checkpoint. Nearby, a group of young Palestinian children playing soccer near the checkpoint contrasted with the underlying tension and potential for violence in the area.
Across the occupied West Bank, there has been a significant escalation in deadly confrontations involving Palestinians, Jewish settlers, and Israeli soldiers since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 1,000 Palestinians—both militants and civilians—have been killed in the West Bank since that date.
At least 44 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed during the same period in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed during the Hamas attacks in southern Israel in 2023, with 251 abducted into Gaza.
In response, Israel launched a large-scale retaliatory operation in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of more than 70,600 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
