Israeli Troops Kill 7-Month-Old Baby In West Bank, Palestinian Officials Say

HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — Israeli soldiers opened fire on a vehicle in occupied territory West BankThe Palestinian health ministry said that a bullet hit the child’s face, killing a 7-month-old Palestinian baby and wounding its parents.

The Israeli army said soldiers opened fire on a vehicle perceived to be speeding towards them near Hebron. In the initial investigation, it was determined that the three injured Palestinians were civilians unrelated to the incidents.

Israeli military activities and settler violence against Palestinians have increased since then war in Gaza It started in October 2023.

The baby’s father, Bethlehem University lecturer Fahd Abu Haikal, told the Associated Press that a bullet hit the windshield Friday evening, then pierced his right hand and hit his son and his wife in the backseat. According to AP journalists who saw the car, another bullet hit the hood.

The bullet passed through Sam Fahd Abu Haikal’s face.

“He was the whole world,” Haikal said of the child, who turned seven months old on Friday.

The mother’s condition was critical, with a piece of shrapnel near her heart.

The baby’s body was wrapped in the Palestinian flag. His father carried him. The men placed the small bundle at their feet and bowed in prayer.

The father wanted justice. “They finally told you it was a mistake,” he said. “Nothing can be called a mistake.”

The baby’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Heykal, was also in the car. He said they were driving near a checkpoint and stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance. He said he initially thought the gunshots were warning shots.

“The scene was horrific, seeing a 7-month-old baby with a torn face,” he said. “What kind of army in the world does this?”

Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are rarely punished and charged in less than 1% of cases based on 2,427 complaints alleging abuse of power between 2016 and 2024, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said eight people were injured, including by tear gas poisoning and rubber-coated metal bullets, in settler attacks on the town of Huwara near Nablus.

The Israeli army said that after reports of the theft of animals and soldiers broke out between Israelis and Palestinians, riots broke out with stones and batons and dispersed them. The army said it was aware of footage showing a soldier committing violence against a Palestinian and was under review. The footage shows a person being thrown to the ground and beaten.

Huwara has witnessed numerous attacks in recent years. Large numbers of Israeli settlers in February 2023 angry thereDozens of cars and houses were burned after a Palestinian gunman killed two settlers.

The United Nations announced last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 240 children, had been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the attack. war in Gaza It began with the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967 and are sought by Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly sees the settlements built by Israel in these regions as illegal and an obstacle to peace.

According to Shifa Hospital, at least seven people from the same family, including two women, a daughter and her father, died in the Israeli attack in Gaza on Saturday. Principal Mohamed Abu Selmiya said a tent near Rimal school was hit.

The Israeli army said it was attacking groups it called militants in the region.

Meanwhile, Hamas said negotiators led by Khalil al-Hayyah had started a new round of talks in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, with the aim of ending the impasse and moving forward with the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that came into force in October. The previous round of negotiations was a month ago.

Spokesperson Hazem Kasim said that the talks aimed to fully implement the first phase of the ceasefire and end Israel’s almost daily attacks in the region. The fragile ceasefire began in October. Although the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire continues to see almost daily Israeli fire.

Nickolay Mladenov, head of the US-created Peace Board that oversees the ceasefire, acknowledged last month: ceasefire stopped We discussed such an important issue as the disarmament of Hamas.

Kasim said that “approaches acceptable to all parties” for the implementation of the second phase, including the seizure of weapons of Palestinian militant groups and the entry of the international stabilization force into the country, will be discussed during the talks.

Samy Magdy reported from Cairo and Sam Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.