Israel military opens probe into killing of infant in West Bank

JERUSALEM - The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the killing of a seven-month-old infant by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, it said on June 7.

Sam Fahd Abou Haikal died and his parents sustained light injuries when Israeli forces opened fire on the family’s car in the city of Hebron, according to Palestinian sources.

Shortly after the incident on June 5, the military said its forces had fired after “soldiers perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them”.

However, an initial inquiry found the three Palestinians were “uninvolved civilians”.

On June 7, the military said it was opening an investigation into the incident.

“Based on the findings of the preliminary examination, it was decided to open an investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division,” the military said in a statement.

“Upon its conclusion, the findings will be transferred to the Military Advocate General’s Office.”

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 with Hamas’s attack on Israel, near-daily violence has also rocked the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians since then, including both militants and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.

Official Israeli figures show that at least 46 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period. AFP