A pregnant Palestinian woman suffered a miscarriage after being delayed by the Israeli army while in transit to a hospital. The incident occurred at the Awarta military checkpoint, situated south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa on Monday.
Bashar Al-Qaryouti, an ambulance officer, stated that Israeli forces prevented the medical transport from passing by closing the checkpoint gates. The crew, carrying a woman who was six months pregnant and experiencing severe bleeding, was held for more than 30 minutes. During this period, the woman was forced to undergo a search despite her critical medical condition. Furthermore, Al-Qaryouti reported that Israeli soldiers commanded the crew to switch off the ambulance engine, which resulted in the failure of the vehicle's onboard medical support equipment.
Although the ambulance was eventually permitted to proceed to a medical facility, doctors were unable to save the foetus, though they were successful in saving the life of the mother. There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli army regarding the incident. This development coincides with a period of intensified movement restrictions across the occupied West Bank. Over the past two days, the Israeli military has shuttered numerous checkpoints surrounding the governorates of Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron, as well as several locations north of occupied East Jerusalem, causing significant traffic disruption for Palestinians. These measures follow a wave of violence that began on Friday, during which four Palestinians were killed and four others injured during a confrontation with Israeli settlers supported by the Israeli army in the town of Tal. The region has since seen increased military raids and arrests, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaling a potential expansion of operations in the territory.
