Palestinian Father Demands Justice for Baby Son Killed by Israeli Army Gunfire

A Palestinian father, Fahd Abu Haikal, has vowed to continue fighting for justice for his seven-month-old son, Sam, who was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the city of Hebron in the West Bank. The tragic incident occurred in the Tel Rumeida district on Friday (5/6). Sam was sitting in the back seat of the family car when a bullet penetrated the windscreen, injuring his father’s hand, striking the baby in the head, and then wounding his mother, Dania Salameh, in the cheek and neck.

“Sam was everything. He was the smile in my home,” a grief-stricken Abu Haikal said. He recounted the heartbreaking moment of holding his son’s cooling body on the way to the hospital, where the infant was later pronounced dead. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially stated that soldiers opened fire because they believed the vehicle was speeding towards them. However, this claim was strongly refuted by the Abu Haikal family. The victim’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Haikal, who was also in the car, stated that they had actually stopped upon seeing the military vehicle and soldiers in the distance. Fahd Abu Haikal insisted he had raised his hands from the steering wheel to show he was not a threat. “They fired the first bullet directly at the windscreen and another at the engine without any warning,” he said.

Following widespread public condemnation, the IDF announced on Sunday (7/6) that it had launched a criminal investigation through its military police unit. In its initial statement, the IDF acknowledged that the victims were civilians and not combatants, expressing regret for the harm caused to uninvolved individuals. The mother, Dania Salameh, remains in intensive care at a Hebron hospital with serious injuries. “I lost my little boy, Sam. He was a sweet child, always smiling and laughing,” she said from her hospital bed. However, hopes for justice often meet a dead end. Data from the advocacy group Yesh Din shows that less than 1% of nearly 2,500 complaints filed against soldiers regarding the treatment of Palestinians between 2016 and 2024 resulted in indictments. Despite this, Fahd Abu Haikal remains resolute. Holding a bullet casing with his bandaged hand, he asserted, “He is my son. He is precious. I will do my best and take every step for justice for Sam.”