Lives Turned in a Second: Seven-Month-Old Sam Killed by Soldier’s Shot in Hebron

Fahd Abu Haikal, 41, remains in shock after his seven-month-old son, Sam, was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier while the family was driving through the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood of Hebron on Friday.

Sam was seated in the back of the car with his mother, Dania Salameh, 28, and his older brother, Kinan, 11. Fahd had been driving his mother, Ferial, 61, back to her home in Hebron after a short visit to the family in Bethlehem.

As the vehicle approached Tel Rumeida — an area that includes an Israeli settlement — a group of soldiers emerged from the dark. Fahd says he stopped the car and raised his hands to show they posed no threat. Despite those efforts, a soldier fired at the vehicle.

Fahd Abu Haikal inspects the car where his seven-month-old child, Sam, was shot dead [Sari Jaradat/Al Jazeera]

A bullet pierced the windshield, passed through Fahd’s hand and struck Sam in the face; the infant died instantly. The same round then passed through Dania’s jaw and left a fragment of shrapnel lodged close to her heart. Doctors decided against surgery because operating so near a major artery posed a serious risk.

Fahd called for an ambulance but, seeing his wife and son bleeding heavily, flagged down a passing car and rushed them to the hospital. Because Dania was in critical condition, Fahd waited a day before telling her that Sam had been killed.

“After seeing the injuries, the soldiers withdrew from the scene without offering any assistance or doing anything about it,” Fahd told Al Jazeera. “We were shot with intent to kill; the soldier who shot us was on the front left side [of the vehicle].”

Family members say soldiers at the scene confiscated nearby security camera footage and did not initiate any assistance or investigation. Fahd intends to file a complaint against the soldier who fired the fatal shot but said he has little hope of accountability.

An Israeli flag is set atop the Palestinian Ayoub Abdel-Basit al-Tamimi family home, which was allegedly taken over by Israeli settlers overnight, in Hebron city near the Israeli settlement area of Tel Rumeida in the occupied West Bank on March 24, 2025 [AFP]

Ferial described the moment she realised her grandson had been killed. At first she thought the shots were warnings; then she saw the bullet had pierced the car and struck the baby. She screamed as neighbours gathered and was overcome by the sight of Sam’s blood-covered face and clothing. Shortly before leaving her son’s home, she had filmed Sam in his stroller — exactly seven months after his birth — calling him a quiet, cheerful baby who rarely cried.

Wider Context

Residents of Hebron say restrictions and military activity have intensified since 7 October 2023, especially around the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Kiryat Arba settlement near Tel Rumeida. Local activists describe the area as effectively besieged by checkpoints and settler-linked security measures, saying roughly a thousand Palestinian families live under severe movement restrictions.

Violence in Hebron has risen in recent months. In December, soldiers opened fire on a vehicle in Bab al-Zawiya, killing a sanitation worker and a boy; the boy’s body remains held by Israeli authorities. In January, Israeli forces shot dead a 58-year-old man who was driving with his daughter and four grandchildren, wounding one child.

“We live in constant fear and feel like we are being targeted,” said Issa Amro, coordinator of the Youth Against Settlements group and a Tel Rumeida resident. “Anyone living in this area expects to be shot at point-blank range without any justification. We live in hell and terror, constantly fearing for ourselves and our children.”

This incident adds to mounting concerns from residents and rights groups about the use of force in Hebron and the lack of effective investigations. The family and local activists are calling for accountability and for the confiscated footage to be released and examined.