A seven-month-old Palestinian boy was killed and two family members injured after Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities reported. The incident occurred on Friday in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, south of Hebron city.

According to the Palestinian health ministry and local news agency WAFA, the infant, identified as Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was shot in the face. His mother sustained serious injuries, and his father, Fahd Abu Haikal, was wounded in the hand. The family was traveling from Bethlehem to Hebron to visit relatives when the shooting took place.

The father, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, described the sequence of events at Al-Ahly Hospital in Hebron. He said a bullet first struck the windshield of the car before passing through his hand, then his son’s face, and finally his wife's face, with shrapnel lodged near her heart. He noted that the mother remained in critical condition and had not been informed of the child’s death.

Also in the vehicle was the baby’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, who said the family had stopped upon noticing Israeli military vehicles and soldiers nearby. She questioned the military’s use of force, expressing grief over her grandson’s death.

The Israeli military stated that soldiers fired at the vehicle after perceiving it as accelerating toward them. They reported that three Palestinians were injured and transported to medical facilities for treatment.

The British Consulate in Jerusalem urged an immediate, transparent investigation into the incident, calling for accountability. The shooting follows renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City the previous day, amid ongoing tensions in the region.