The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem released a video on Tuesday that contradicts the official army version regarding the death of little Wassam Fahd Abou Heikal, 7 months old, killed last Friday in the occupied West Bank. The infant succumbed to his injuries after shots were fired by Israeli soldiers in the Hebron area. His parents were also injured during the incident. The army initially stated, in its preliminary investigation, that one of its soldiers had fired on non-suspect civilians after their vehicle accelerated toward the deployed troops.
Violence Strikes the Youngest
The footage provided by B’Tselem, according to the NGO, invalidates this explanation. The case occurs amid increasing violence in the West Bank, where Palestinian children pay a dramatic toll. According to UNICEF, one child is killed on average each week since January 2025, a direct consequence of the intensification of military operations and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the death of baby Abou Heikal.
This new child death raises questions again about the Israeli army’s rules of engagement in the occupied territories. The contradiction between the video testimony and the military version fuels recurring accusations of human rights violations in the West Bank. Tensions between Israeli authorities and human rights organizations regularly crystallize around such incidents, which feed the cycle of violence in the region.
