New footage disputes Israeli military account of shooting that killed infant in Hebron
Video obtained by Israeli human rights group B'Tselem shows the car carrying seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal had slowed to a stop before Israeli soldiers opened fire in Hebron on 5 June 2026, contradicting the military's claim that the vehicle was accelerating toward troops.
- B'Tselem footage shows the family car had stopped before Israeli soldiers opened fire.
- Seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal was shot in the head and died at the scene.
- The Israel Defense Forces claims soldiers perceived the vehicle accelerating toward them.
New video footage obtained by Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem contradicts the Israeli military's account of an incident in the occupied West Bank on 5 June 2026, in which a seven-month-old Palestinian infant was shot dead and his parents wounded at a checkpoint in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood of Hebron.
The footage shows the car carrying the Abu Haikal family had slowed to a stop before an Israeli soldier opened fire, directly disputing the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) assertion that a soldier fired because the vehicle was perceived to be accelerating toward troops.
The baby, identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was struck in the head by gunfire and pronounced dead shortly after the shooting. His parents, Fahed and Daniyah Abu Haikal, were both wounded. Daniyah remained in hospital at the time of reporting.
What the footage shows
In one video obtained by B'Tselem, an Israeli soldier is seen discharging his weapon at the car as it decelerates to a halt. According to B'Tselem, the vehicle was at a considerable distance from the soldiers at the point of firing and posed no danger to them.
A second video shows the immediate aftermath. Fahed is seen holding baby Sam in his arms, pressing his hands against his son's head wound in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Daniyah, also struck by gunfire, is seen seated on the ground beside the car, still holding her son.
B'Tselem stated that after firing, the soldier and a second soldier present at the scene left without checking on the vehicle or providing any assistance to the critically wounded infant or his injured mother.
The family's account
The baby's grandmother gave an account to Reuters describing the sequence of events as the family drove through the Tel Rumeida area after visiting relatives.
She said the family were travelling from Bethlehem to Hebron when they spotted Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance, and brought their car to a stop. Shots were then fired in their direction, which the family initially took to be warning shots.
"One bullet struck my grandson, traversed his face and crossed his head, striking his mother's cheek where it lodged," she said.
She added that a bullet had also grazed the finger of Fahed, who works as a lecturer at Bethlehem University and was identified by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA as Fahd Abdul Aziz Abu Haikal.
The Israeli military's position
The IDF issued a statement saying its soldiers on Friday "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" near Hebron during operational activity, and that one soldier "responded with single shots toward the vehicle."
The IDF acknowledged that "three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment" and expressed "deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals." The statement added that "the incident is under review."
The IDF's characterisation of the vehicle's movement stands in direct contrast to what the B'Tselem footage appears to document.
Context: a pattern of civilian deaths
The shooting occurred against the backdrop of sustained Palestinian civilian casualties in both Gaza and the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in the West Bank since that date, according to figures cited by multiple news agencies.
In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported that more than 70,600 people have been killed in Israeli military operations since October 2023.
The Hebron shooting is not an isolated incident. In March 2026, four members of a Palestinian family — including two children aged five and seven — were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank while on a late-night drive following the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast, according to Palestinian officials.
B'Tselem said in its commentary on the latest footage that the cumulative impact of Israeli military conduct across Gaza and the West Bank had produced a situation, in its assessment, where Palestinian lives faced systematic disregard under Israeli rule.
The rights group described the killing of Sam Abu Haikal as emblematic of what it characterised as a broader pattern enabled by the absence of international accountability.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed Sam Abu Haikal's death and the injuries sustained by his parents.
No arrest or disciplinary action against the soldier involved had been announced at the time of publication.
