B’Tselem Publishes Footage Challenging Army Account of 7-Month-Old’s Killing in Hebron
Updated
Updated · Arab News · Jun 10
B’Tselem Publishes Footage Challenging Army Account of 7-Month-Old’s Killing in Hebron
3 articles · Updated · Arab News · Jun 10
Summary
B’Tselem released video Tuesday that it said shows the Palestinian family’s car slowing and stopping before Israeli troops shot at it in Hebron, contradicting the army’s claim that soldiers saw a vehicle accelerating toward them.
The shooting on Friday killed 7-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal and lightly wounded his parents; the footage shows the family outside the car afterward, with the baby bleeding in his father’s arms.
The Israeli military had already opened an investigation and said an initial inquiry found the couple and their baby were uninvolved civilians; after the video emerged, it said it was checking the footage.
B’Tselem also accused the soldiers of leaving without checking the vehicle or aiding the wounded, while the infant’s father said multiple shots without warning meant the killing could not be dismissed as a mistake.
The case lands amid a wider surge in West Bank violence since October 2023, with at least 1,080 Palestinians and 44 Israelis killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli official figures.
With Israeli officials openly backing West Bank annexation, was this infant's death a tragic mistake or state-sanctioned policy?
As US-Israel defense ties deepen, can Washington still enforce its own human rights laws on its closest ally?
Video evidence challenges the army's narrative, but can it overcome a system of military self-investigation to deliver justice?
Seven-Month-Old Killed in Hebron: Disputed Israeli Army Shooting, Human Rights Scrutiny, and Calls for Accountability
Overview
On June 5, 2026, a tragic incident in Hebron led to the death of seven-month-old Palestinian infant Sam Fahd Abu Haikal and injuries to his parents, sparking intense dispute over what happened. Conflicting narratives quickly emerged between the Israeli military and the human rights group B’Tselem. Days later, B’Tselem released video footage they claim directly refutes the army’s account, challenging the official explanation of how the infant was killed by an Israeli soldier. This clash of accounts highlights deep divisions and raises serious questions about accountability and transparency in such incidents.