A seven-month-old Palestinian baby named Sam was killed by an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, according to his father, Fahd Abu Haikal.

Abu Haikal, 41, described the harrowing incident as his family was traveling by car. He was driving his mother, Ferial, 61, back to her home in Hebron after a visit to Bethlehem, with Sam, his mother Dania Salameh, 28, and his brother Kinan, 11, in the vehicle.

As they neared Tel Rumeida, a neighborhood in Hebron known to contain a large Israeli settlement, soldiers emerged from the darkness. Abu Haikal stated he stopped the car and raised his hands to signal they posed no threat. However, a soldier allegedly aimed and fired at the vehicle.

The bullet reportedly pierced the car's windshield, struck Abu Haikal’s hand, and then hit Sam in the face, killing him instantly. The same projectile then passed through Dania Salameh's jaw, lodging a fragment near her heart. Doctors opted against removing the shrapnel due to the proximity of a major artery.

Abu Haikal recounted how, after the shooting, the soldiers withdrew without offering assistance. He managed to flag down a passing car to take his wife and son to the hospital. He delayed telling Dania of their son's death until the following day due to her critical condition.

Abu Haikal expressed skepticism about accountability, noting that soldiers allegedly confiscated security camera footage from the area immediately after the incident and that no one had contacted his family regarding an investigation. He stated his intention to file a case against the soldier responsible, but holds little hope.

Sam's older brother, Kinan, is reportedly in a difficult psychological state following the loss of his younger sibling. Ferial, Sam's grandmother, described hearing gunshots and initially believing they were warnings, only to realize her grandson had been shot. She recalled the devastating scene of blood covering the baby.

The incident occurred in a volatile area of the occupied West Bank, where tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents are frequently high. The Israeli military has not yet released a statement regarding the incident or any potential investigation.