Father of slain Palestinian baby says he brought car to full stop, shooting soldier saw family inside

Fahd Abou Haikal, whose seven-month-old son Sam was shot dead by the IDF in Hebron yesterday, tells Haaretz that the Palestinian family’s car came to a full stop before a soldier standing some 10 meters (11 yards) away fired the fatal shot.

The shooting occurred about 7:30 p.m., in daylight, and the soldier “saw me, saw my wife and the kids,” Abou Haikal claims. “You can’t say he didn’t see it was a family.”

The IDF on Friday said troops opened fire on the car after they “perceived” it accelerating toward them. An initial investigation found the people wounded were “uninvolved civilians,” the IDF said, adding that it “expresses deep sorrow” and had submitted the incident for review by relevant authorities.

Abou Haikal and his wife were lightly wounded in the shooting. Their other son, age 11, and Abou Haikal’s mother were also in the car, but were not reported to have been wounded.

Speaking to Haaretz, Abou Haikal says the soldiers opened fire “without warning” after he brought the car to a full stop on their orders.

The troops were patrolling the street, but had not set up an obvious roadblock, Abou Haikal adds.

He demands that, “if there is any conscience, law or morality left,” the soldier who killed his son be held to account.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.