The left-wing Israeli organization B’Tselem on Tuesday published brief footage that appeared to show the moment on June 5 when an Israeli soldier shot 7-month-old Sam Abu Haikal, who 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 Israel Defense Forces 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 said the video contradicts that account.
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“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 posted on X.
WARNING: GRAPHIC
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
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.
Military Police are probing whether soldiers left the scene after the shooting without providing assistance to the family or calling for medical reinforcements, according to the Ynet news site.
Fahd Abou Haikal, 41, shows a picture of his slain 7-month-old son Sam, at a hospital in Hebron on June 6, 2026, a day after the baby boy was shot dead by the IDF in the southern West Bank city. The IDF expressed ‘deep sorrow’ over the incident. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean)
At Sam’s funeral on Saturday, Fahd Abu Haikal said he rejected statements suggesting that the shooting was a mistake.
“When more than one bullet is fired, when there’s no warning shot and no warning at all, it can’t be a mistake,” he said.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
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