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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian teenager died Thursday after she was unable to pass through an Israeli checkpoint on the way to the hospital during a medical emergency, the girl's family said.

Nour Mohammad Afaneh, 14, died in an ambulance while in critical condition on her way to a Bethlehem hospital, Afaneh's father told Ma'an.

He said that Anafeh had been suffering from severe pneumonia and was physically disabled.

On the way to Beit Jala Governmental Hospital, the ambulance arrived at the Container Road checkpoint north of Bethlehem and found it closed, he said.

After attempting three other routes to the hospital in heavy traffic, the ambulance attempted to bring Anafeh to Ramallah Governmental Hospital, but she died before arriving, her father said.

Her funeral will be held Thursday.

Popular Committe Spokesman Hani Halbiya told Ma'an that Israeli forces have kept the Container Road checkpoint closed for the past three days.

Extreme traffic is commonplace in the Wadi Nar area between Bethlehem and Ramallah, and closures of the Container Road checkpoint slow movement even more.

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by IMEMC & Agencies
Thursday Evening [November 28, 2013] A Palestinian child has died, as an ambulance transporting her to the Beit Jala Hospital, in the Bethlehem District, was delayed at an Israeli military roadblock, Palestinian medical sources have reported.

The child, Nour Mohammad Affana, 14, suffered with a severe case of pneumonia.

The Palestine News Network (PNN) stated that a physician first examined her and, then, decided to move her to the Intensive Care Unit in Beit Jala Hospital. Her father said that, after an ambulance tried to transport her to ICU through the Container Roadblock (the main roadblock to the east of occupied Jerusalem which splits the occupied West Bank), the entire area became jammed with cars as the soldiers closed the roadblock, and the ambulance could not get through. The ambulance then tried to take a bypass road, near the Kidar Israeli settlement, but was unable to do so, and decided to drive to the Ramallah Governmental Hospital.

The child passed away just minutes before arriving at the hospital.

Spokesperson of the Popular Resistance Committee Hani Halabiyya, stated that, starting three days ago, Israeli soldiers manning the Container Roadblock began to deliberately close the roadblock during morning and evening hours, causing huge traffic jams.

He added that the Jerusalem City Council has been doing some work on the main road heading to nearby Al-Ezariyya town, removing two stop signs from the road and placing them at the Qidar-Ma’ale Adumin settlement junction, thus widening the main road.