The Israeli military’s criminal investigation division has opened a formal inquiry into the fatal shooting of a seven-month-old Palestinian infant, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, during a confrontation near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The decision, announced on Sunday, followed a preliminary review and marked an abrupt shift after earlier signals that no immediate probe was forthcoming. The baby was killed and both parents wounded when a soldier opened fire on the family’s vehicle. The army’s initial statement claimed the car had accelerated towards troops, prompting a soldier to shoot in perceived self-defence. That account has been forcefully contradicted by the father, who insists he had stopped the car and was complying with soldiers’ instructions when the bullets hit.

Speaking to Israeli media, Fahd Abu Haikal described how he halted the car some ten metres from the soldiers, his hands on the steering wheel, in broad daylight. “He saw me, he saw my wife and the children. There was no warning,” he said. The infant’s grandmother, Ferial Abu Haikal, recounted that the family initially believed the shots were warning fire until a bullet penetrated the vehicle, killing the child and wounding his mother. The Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported that the baby was buried on Saturday, as his father demanded “justice and accountability.” The army itself has acknowledged that none of the family were involved in militant activity, yet it continues to frame the incident as a soldier reacting to a perceived threat.

The killing has drawn attention well beyond the immediate region. Newspapers in Indonesia and Mexico carried the story, reflecting widespread concern in the Global South over the use of lethal force by Israeli troops against civilians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who routinely issues statements after Palestinian attacks on Israelis, has remained publicly silent on the death of the infant. That silence, analysts note, stands in contrast to the swift investigation ordered when Israeli civilians are harmed. A Haaretz editorial denounced the army’s use of language that transforms such killings into “tragic accidents,” arguing that the military’s default narrative of perceived danger too often shields soldiers from serious scrutiny.

The military police investigation will now gather evidence and witness testimony, with findings to be passed to the Military Advocate General. Yet history suggests that probes into the killing of Palestinians by soldiers rarely result in indictments, much less convictions. Rights groups point to systemic impunity within the Israeli justice system for acts of violence in the occupied territories. As international bodies and foreign ministries monitor the case, the question remains whether this inquiry will mark a departure or merely reinforce a pattern of accountability denied. For the Abu Haikal family, and for a watching world, the promise of justice hangs on an outcome that past experience gives little reason to expect.