Baby dies after Israeli military attack in West Bank

TEL AVIV, Israel - A 7-month-old Palestinian baby has died after an Israeli soldier opened fire on a vehicle in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah reported that soldiers had opened fire on a vehicle south of Hebron. The baby later died in hospital as a result of his serious injuries. His parents were reportedly left with moderate injuries.

The father of the baby who was killed told Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz that he had brought his car to a complete stop before a soldier standing about 10 meters (33 feet) away opened fire.

The incident took place in broad daylight, and the soldier had seen that a family was sitting in the car, he said, though his comments could not be independently verified.

"You can't say he didn't see that it was a family," he told the paper.

A spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces said earlier that soldiers on duty had the impression that a vehicle was speeding towards them at high speed. A soldier then fired several shots.

Three Palestinians were injured and received medical treatment, she said. Initial investigations suggest the Palestinians were uninvolved civilians.

The IDF is investigating the circumstances of the incident, she said. The IDF expressed "deep sorrow for any harm caused to uninvolved individuals," in a Telegram post.

Tensions have risen in the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza War in October 2023.

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers now live there among some 3 million Palestinians.

Israel is steadily expanding settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories it captured in 1967 and which Palestinians claim for their own state.

The Israeli settlements are seen by many as a violation of international law.

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