Video Evidence Contradicts Israeli Military's Account of Seven-Month-Old Baby's Shooting Death in the West Bank
Gaza, 11 June 2026
New footage released by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem on 10 June 2026 shows the family’s car was stationary when soldiers opened fire, directly contradicting the military’s claim that the vehicle posed a threat.
What Happened on 5 June 2026
On Friday, 5 June 2026, Fahd Abu Haikal was driving through Hebron, on the occupied West Bank, with his wife Daniyah and their seven-month-old son, Sam Abu Haikal, when Israeli soldiers opened fire on their vehicle at a checkpoint [1][2]. The baby was killed. Fahd was shot in the hand, and Daniyah was struck in the face [1]. The incident took place in broad daylight, in a car with untinted windows, according to the father’s own account [1]. Within days, it would become one of the most scrutinised and contested episodes in a conflict already defined by competing narratives and a mounting civilian death toll.
The Military’s Version — and Why It Unravelled
The Israeli military’s initial explanation was straightforward: a soldier opened fire because the car was accelerating towards him, posing an immediate physical threat [1][2]. That account began to fall apart on 10 June 2026, when Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem published security camera footage of the incident [1][2]. The footage showed something categorically different. According to analysts and witnesses cited in reporting by Dutch outlet AD and Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS, the car was stationary at the time of the shooting, not accelerating [1][2]. The soldier was standing approximately 10 metres from the vehicle [1]. Critically, the footage also showed that soldiers did not provide first aid to the wounded family members after the shooting [1][2]. B’Tselem’s director, Yuli Novak, was unequivocal in her assessment: ‘Palestinian lives, even that of a seven-month-old baby, are treated as expendable under Israeli rule’ [2].
A Father’s Testimony
Fahd Abu Haikal’s account, given to both AD and VRT NWS, is consistent across both sources and aligns directly with what the B’Tselem footage appears to show [1][2]. ‘The soldier gave me a sign to stop. I brought the car to a complete standstill and placed my hands on the steering wheel. Immediately after that, they opened fire,’ he said [1]. He added that the soldier was standing roughly ten metres away, that the windows were not tinted, and that it was daytime — meaning the occupants of the car were clearly visible [1]. ‘The car was not moving at all when he shot at us. A seven-month-old baby was killed in cold blood. He did not deserve this,’ Fahd said [1]. In a separate statement reported by VRT NWS, he described having raised his hands away from the steering wheel before the shots were fired [2]. The Israeli military subsequently expressed that it was ‘deeply saddened by the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,’ a statement it posted on X [1][2]. The military police have since opened an investigation into the soldier responsible [1][2].
Accountability: A Pattern That Context Makes Stark
The launch of a military police investigation has been noted, but observers point to a deeply troubling historical pattern when it comes to prosecutions of Israeli soldiers [2]. According to data from the Israeli organisation Yesh Din, covering the period between 2016 and 2024, fewer than 1% of the 2,427 complaints filed regarding alleged misconduct by soldiers resulted in an indictment [2]. That figure — 0.041 per cent if even one complaint resulted in charges — underlines why human rights groups and international observers treat announcements of internal investigations with considerable scepticism [2]. The United Nations has separately documented that more than 1,000 Palestinians, including at least 240 children, have been killed on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem since the escalation of hostilities began in October 2023 [1][2]. Yuli Novak of B’Tselem placed the killing of baby Sam in that broader context: ‘Over the past two and a half years, Israel has killed tens of thousands of children in Gaza and on the West Bank. The immunity granted to Israel by the international community has created a reality in which Palestinian lives under Israeli rule are treated as expendable — even the life of a seven-month-old baby’ [2].
Why This Matters if You Are Waiting in an AZC
For people currently living in reception centres (AZCs) in the Netherlands who have fled Gaza, the West Bank, or the broader Middle East, news of this kind can be acutely distressing — particularly if family members remain in the affected areas [GPT]. The killing of Sam Abu Haikal on 5 June 2026, and the release of contradicting footage on 10 June 2026, is not an isolated event but part of a documented and escalating pattern of violence in the occupied territories [1][2]. Internationally, the incident has renewed calls for independent accountability mechanisms that operate outside the Israeli military justice system, which critics argue has structurally failed to hold soldiers responsible for harm to Palestinian civilians [2]. The broader regional picture adds another layer of tension: on the night of 10 to 11 June 2026, the United States and Iran exchanged direct military strikes for a second consecutive night, with the US targeting sites near Tehran and Iran striking American bases in Jordan and Bahrain [4]. An 11-year-old girl in Bahrain was lightly injured by falling debris from intercepted Iranian drones [4]. These developments, taken together, signal a Middle East in which multiple, simultaneous crises are compounding one another. If you are in an AZC and are struggling emotionally with this news, you can speak with a counsellor through your reception centre or contact the GZA, the healthcare service available at AZCs [GPT].