A seven month old baby was buried in Hebron wrapped in a Palestinian flag. His name was Sam Fahd Abu Haikal. He was shot dead by an Israeli soldier while sitting in his family’s car. His father was driving. His mother was beside him. His grandmother was in the back.
The family had spent the day in Bethlehem. They were almost home. The Israeli checkpoint at Tel Rumeida was just ahead. Soldiers approached from a side road to the left. The family says they stopped the car. The father says he raised his hands. Then gunshots tore through the windshield.
A bullet went through Fahd’s arm. It struck his son in the head. It hit his wife in the face. Sam died in hospital. His mother is still being treated.
The Israeli military said soldiers perceived a threat from a vehicle accelerating towards them. A single shot was fired. The IDF later acknowledged the family were uninvolved civilians and expressed deep sorrow. Fahd dismissed the expression of regret entirely. He said more than one bullet was fired. No warning shot. No warning at all. It cannot be a mistake.
Local residents pointed out traces of what they said was blood on the road. One neighbor who did not want to be named said he heard two shots. He said there were about four soldiers at the scene.
Tel Rumeida has been a flashpoint for years. Israeli settlers live among Palestinian residents. A heavy military presence is permanent. The checkpoint sits between Sam’s family home and the rest of the world. Young children were kicking a ball nearby when the shooting happened. Normal life and deadly violence separated by meters.
The West Bank has been bleeding since the Hamas attacks of October 2023. More than 1,000 Palestinians, both militants and civilians, have been killed since then. At least 44 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks or military operations. The numbers are staggering and numb. But a seven month old baby with a bullet in his head is not a number. His father carried his small shrouded body to the graveyard himself. The mourners followed. The world barely noticed.
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