A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed on Friday afternoon by shots fired by an IDF soldier near Checkpoint 17 in Wadi al-Hariya in Hebron, West Bank. The child was in his mother’s arms in the car driven by his father, Fahd Abdul Aziz Abu Haikal, a professor at Bethlehem University. The man told Haaretz that the car had come to a complete stop before a soldier, who was about 10 meters away, fired the fatal shot. «The shooting occurred around 7.30 pm, there was daylight, and the soldier saw me, my wife and the children. You can’t say he didn’t realize we were a family,” Abou Haikal said.
The people inside the car were “uninvolved civilians”
The Israeli army said troops fired at the car after “perceiving” it accelerating towards them. A preliminary investigation established that the people inside the car were “civilians not involved”, the IDF said, adding that it “expressed deep regret” and had opened an investigation. Abou Haikal and his wife were slightly injured, but the newborn was hit by a bullet in the face and despite the help there was nothing that could be done. The couple’s 11-year-old son and grandmother were also in the car. The child’s uncle told Haaretz that the family was going to his grandmother’s house in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron: «The car was going uphill when the IDF soldiers took my brother by surprise. He panicked and stopped the car. One bullet hit the car and a second penetrated the passenger compartment,” he said.
“If there still exists a shred of conscience, law or morality, the soldier who killed my son must be held accountable,” said the child’s father. It is not the first time that innocent children lose their lives in similar tragedies in the West Bank: about two months ago the Palestinian Authority police opened fire on the car of a fugitive Hamas terrorist who had his family with him. The two sons of the wanted man were killed, while the man managed to escape although injured. Also in the West Bank, a group of masked settlers raided the town of Huwara on Saturday, claiming that Palestinians had stolen sheep from their farm. They were filmed as they began throwing stones, attacking residents and damaging property. An IDF soldier also joined the action, Ynet reported. Nine Palestinians were injured, one seriously. The Israeli army said it had opened an investigation into the clashes. «The authorities are aware of a video in which an IDF soldier appears carrying out violence against a Palestinian. These actions are considered serious and not in accordance with the values of the Israeli army. An investigation has been opened,” the army spokesperson wrote in a post. In Gaza, however, in two different IDF raids between Saturday morning and evening, in Khan Younis and Gaza City, seven people were killed and 15 injured: among them also Muhand Othman Farwana, who according to the Palestinian agency Wafa lost his life on the day he was supposed to celebrate his wedding. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that the Israeli army has used white phosphorus, a potentially very dangerous incendiary substance, on populated areas of Lebanon during the conflict against Hezbollah. The NYT published videos and photos showing the characteristic smoke trails produced by this type of munition. When asked, the army denied: “The IDF procedures establish that such projectiles should not be used in densely populated areas, subject to some exceptions. This complies with the requirements of international law and goes even beyond what is prescribed by it”, replied Tsahal.