Baby Killed by Israeli Fire in West Bank, Palestinian Ministry Says

A seven-month-old baby was killed and his parents were injured by Israeli army gunfire in the southern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported Friday. The ministry stated that Sam Fahd Abou Haikal died and his parents sustained minor injuries "after occupation forces opened fire on them Friday night" near the city of Hebron.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment when contacted by AFP. Tareq Barbarawi, director of the Hebron government hospital, had earlier told AFP that the infant was hospitalized with "serious" injuries. According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli forces fired at the family's vehicle. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has surged in the West Bank, separate from the Gaza war that began with Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians, including combatants and civilians, according to an AFP count based on Palestinian Health Ministry data. Official Israeli figures show at least 46 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have died in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.