SAFA- A pregnant Palestinian woman lost her fetus after Israeli occupation forces delayed an ambulance transporting her to a hospital at a military checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian sources reported Monday.

Palestinian paramedic Bashar Al-Qaryouti said ambulance crews reached the hospital "with great difficulty" and saved the woman’s life after she suffered severe bleeding while being transported from the village of Qaryut.

Al-Qaryouti said Israeli occupation forces stopped the ambulance at Awarta checkpoint, south of Nablus, and ordered the crew to turn off the vehicle’s engine despite being repeatedly informed that the medical equipment inside was needed to treat the patient.

"I told them several times that there was a woman between life and death who was suffering from bleeding, but the soldier threatened us, and we were forced to completely stop the vehicle," he said.

He added that Israeli occupation forces later allowed the ambulance to pass, but medical staff confirmed that the woman had already lost her fetus. Doctors at the hospital managed to save her life.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed a sharp increase in Israeli military restrictions in recent months, including the closure of checkpoints and military gates, hindering the movement of Palestinians, including ambulances. Palestinian officials have warned that such measures are preventing patients and injured Palestinians from reaching medical facilities.

The Nablus governorate has remained under intensified military restrictions since Friday following the killing of four Palestinians and the injury of others during an Israeli army and settler attack on the town of Tal, southwest of Nablus. Two Israelis were also killed in a shooting incident near the town.

Israeli occupation forces have closed most entrances to Nablus and surrounding villages, deployed large military reinforcements, and carried out raids in several areas. They also surrounded and raided Nablus Specialized Hospital and detained injured Palestinians from inside the facility.

Expanded settler attacks against a number of Palestinian communities, including the burning of agricultural land and property and the shooting and assaulting of Palestinians, occurred concurrently with the escalation.

The occupied West Bank has seen a rise in attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza in October 2023. According to Palestinian official figures, more than 1,182 Palestinians have been killed, around 13,000 injured, and nearly 24,000 detained during the same period.