Video appears to show moment IDF soldier fired at family’s car in Hebron, killing baby

The left-wing Israeli NGO B’Tselem posts brief footage that appears to show the moment when an IDF soldier shot 7-month-old Sam Abu Haikal on June 5, while he was in a car with his parents in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron.

The footage shows two soldiers standing just meters from the vehicle as it slows down and then stops near them. The soldiers are later seen moving away from the area. The video has no sound, and it is unclear exactly when the soldier fired at the car.

Additional footage filmed after the shooting shows the family removing the wounded infant from the vehicle after the soldiers appear to have left the scene.

The IDF on Friday said it “expresses deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals” in the incident. According to the IDF’s initial statement on the incident, a soldier opened fire at a car after reportedly perceiving it as accelerating toward the troops.

But B’Tselem says the video contradicts that account.

“The footage shows clearly that the soldier’s gunfire at the car was carried out at a time when the driver of the car was slowing down and preparing to stop, and when he was at a distance from the soldiers and did not present any danger to them,” the group posts on X.

On Sunday, the Military Police opened an investigation into the soldier who fired at the family’s vehicle. After the investigation, the findings will be transferred to the Military Advocate General’s office ahead of a possible indictment.

תיעוד חדש שהגיע לידי בצלם חושף את רגעי הירי במשפחת אבו הייכל, שכתוצאה ממנו נהרג סאם אבו הייכל, תינוק בן 7 חודשים, ונפצעו שני הוריו. מהתיעוד עולה בבירור כי הירי שביצע החייל לעבר הרכב בוצע בזמן שנהג הרכב האט את נסיעתו לקראת עצירה, וכאשר היה במרחק מהחיילים ולא היווה כל סכנה עבורם.… pic.twitter.com/u4UCfZbFOe

— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) June 9, 2026