Public Relations, International Relations, and Media Unit
6-6-2026
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the horrific crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the family of academics Fahd Abu Haikal and Dania Salameh, members of the Palestine Ahliya University community in Bethlehem, following the targeting of the civilian vehicle carrying them and their family members. The attack resulted in the killing of their seven-month-old infant son, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, and left both parents seriously injured.
The Ministry stressed that this crime is part of a continuing pattern of violations committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, including the educational and academic community, amid international silence and the failure to take effective measures to protect civilians and ensure accountability.
It further noted that the continued escalation of such crimes reflects the international community’s failure to act in the face of grave breaches of international humanitarian law and international law, stressing that the targeting of a civilian family, the killing of an infant, and the serious injury of his parents constitute further evidence of the scale of the daily tragedy endured by the Palestinian people.
The statement reaffirmed that these crimes represent a flagrant violation of international norms, conventions, and agreements that prohibit the targeting of civilians, including academics and education sector personnel. It called on international, human rights, humanitarian, and media organizations to assume their legal and moral responsibilities, break the silence, expose these violations, work to bring them to an end, and ensure accountability before international justice.
The Ministry also extended its heartfelt condolences to academics Fahd Abu Haikal and Dania Salameh and their family on the killing of their infant son, Sam, wished the injured a swift recovery, and reaffirmed its solidarity with the Palestinian academic community in the face of ongoing crimes and violations.