Last Updated:
Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle, despite the family complying with orders to stop, killing a seven-month-old baby and injuring his parents.
The family of Sam Abu Haikal carried his body during his funeral in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Reuters)
In a horrifying incident from the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle that killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby and injured one of the child’s parents, despite it having complied with an order to stop.
Soldiers opened fire on Friday on a car carrying the infant and his parents in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, according to The Guardian. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, just seven months old, was critically injured in the firing and later succumbed to his injuries. His parents were also injured.
In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretzthe child’s father Fahd Abu Haikal said a “bullet passed through his hand and struck his son”, who was being held by his mother in the back seat. He said the family had complied with an order by Israeli soldiers to stop.
Fahd Abu Haikal said the soldiers could clearly see that the occupants of the vehicle were a family in broad daylight, but still opened fire, which killed his son. “The soldier was about 10 metres away from me. He saw me, he saw my wife and the children. The windows were not tinted, it was broad daylight and everything was clear.”
“I stopped as I was instructed to, and then they simply shot at the car. There was no clear checkpoint, just soldiers standing in the street. I stopped when I was asked to, and then the shooting started,” he added.
Israel Expresses ‘Deep Sorrow’
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said its troops “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them”, and one of its soldiers responded with a single shot towards the vehicle. However, an initial inquiry found that the Palestinians were uninvolved civilians.
The IDF said three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment, and that the incident was being reviewed. The Israeli Army also expressed “deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals.”
Meanwhile, Fahd Abu Haikal called for the soldier to be held accountable. “I demand and expect, if there is any conscience, any law, any morality, that the soldier who fired the shots will be held accountable for his actions. This case must not be closed without an investigation and without accountability,” he added.
On March 15, Israeli troops operating in the northern Jordan valley opened fire on a vehicle travelling through a village, killing a Palestinian couple and two of their children. The victims were identified as Ali Bani Odeh, 38, his wife, Waad Bani Odeh, 36, and their sons Othman, 6, and Mohammad, 5.
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int…Read More
Jerusalem, Israel
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
