Israeli forces kill Palestinian baby in the West Bank: Health ministry

World Israeli forces kill a Palestinian baby after firing at car in the West Bank, health ministry says June 6, 2026 / 7:02 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Israeli troops killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby boy after firing at his parents' vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed Friday evening, and his parents were wounded while driving in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron City, according to the ministry.The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the baby was critically wounded after being struck in the face by the same bullet that injured his mother. He later died of his injuries. His father, Fahd Abu Haikal, a lecturer at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand. They were traveling from Bethlehem to visit family in Hebron when soldiers opened fire, the agency reported.Photos from the Associated Press show that the baby's carseat was behind the driver's seat of the vehicle. Photos also show damage, including at least one bullet hole, in the car's windshield.  A man inspects the damaged family vehicle of seven month old Palestinian baby boy Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, onSaturday, June 6, 2026. Mahmoud Illean/AP Israel's military has scaled up military operations in the West Bank since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage, which triggered the war in Gaza. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has so far killed more than 72,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, is generally seen as reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts.A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told CBS News that soldiers "perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them" in the Hebron area. A soldier responded by firing single shots, the spokesperson said. The statement said three Palestinians were injured and evacuated for medical treatment, but did not confirm the age or g...