A Palestinian infant who died in an Israeli military shooting was buried Saturday in the West Bank city of Hebron, one day after the deadly incident that also wounded his parents.
Seven-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was interred following funeral services at a local mosque, his small body wrapped in white burial cloth and draped with a Palestinian flag. The baby died Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on his family’s vehicle in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron, according to relatives who witnessed the incident and the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The child’s father, Fahd, rejected suggestions that the shooting was unintentional during Saturday’s burial proceedings.
“What happened to us is not a matter of an apology. What happened is not that shots were fired by mistake and led to this tragedy,” the grieving father stated.
“To say it happened by mistake, that ‘I didn’t know you were coming here,’ or that the bullet passed through by accident — no. There is no such thing as ‘by mistake’ in this case.”
Israeli military officials have stated that troops discharged a single round after they “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them.” The military has admitted that “uninvolved civilians” sustained injuries and indicated the matter is being investigated.
The infant’s grandmother, Firyal, described how the family had brought their car to a halt upon spotting Israeli troops in the area. She said gunfire erupted afterward, with a bullet striking their vehicle and fatally wounding Abu Haikal while injuring both parents.
“Immediately after the presence of the occupation forces, a soldier holding his weapon opened fire on us. The bullets struck the car,” Fahd recounted.
“The soldier that shot at us was 10 metres away. The bullet penetrated the front windshield, went through my arm, and then struck my son in the head and my wife in the face.”
Military authorities have not revealed the identities of the troops involved in the shooting or indicated whether those personnel remain on active duty during the ongoing investigation.
