PALESTINIAN WOMAN DELIVERS STILLBORN BABY AFTER AMBULANCE DELAYED AT CHECKPOINT

A Palestinian woman delivered a stillborn baby in an ambulance after Israeli soldiers delayed the vehicle at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Monday. The 28-year-old woman was six months pregnant and unconscious when medics collected her from her home in Qaryout, a village south of Nablus, according to Palestinian medic Bashar Qaryouti. Qaryouti told AFP that the woman was suffering from heavy bleeding and her condition was extremely critical. The entrance to a nearby village was closed, forcing the ambulance to take dirt tracks through olive groves before reaching the Awarta checkpoint.

At the checkpoint, Israeli soldiers ordered Qaryouti to turn off the ambulance's engine. Qaryouti said he explained that the vehicle's medical equipment was being used to keep the patient alive, but the soldiers forced him to switch the vehicle off regardless. As the ambulance remained stranded, the woman's condition worsened. A nurse accompanying her was forced to deliver the baby inside the vehicle whilst waiting. After more than 30 minutes, the soldiers returned the crew's identity cards and allowed the ambulance to continue.

When the ambulance reached hospital, the mother was rushed into surgery to stop the bleeding, Qaryouti said. The incident formed part of a broader pattern of events reported from the occupied West Bank during the week. The circumstances surrounding the death of the baby raised questions about medical access in the territory during checkpoint operations.