Soldier forces Palestinian woman with a high risk pregnancy who was suffering from severe pain to sign an undertaking never to return to the Gaza Strip as a condition for her urgent evacuation to hospital: HaMoked appeals to the head of the Gaza DCO to immediately investigate the incident and clarifies that the undertaking is not valid as it was obtained through exploiting the woman's distress

On 3 July 2008, a Palestinian woman living in the Gaza Strip arrived at the Erez checkpoint on her way to the West Bank. The woman was in the last stages of her first pregnancy following years of fertility treatments. She was carrying quadruplets. Because of her high risk pregnancy, her doctors recommended she carry out its last stages and give birth in the West Bank where medical services are better and more comprehensive. While at the checkpoint, the woman was seized by severe pain and an ambulance was called to urgently evacuate her to Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon where she remains under observation until she gives birth. 

It subsequently came to light that after the ambulance arrived, while she was writhing in pain, a soldier came up to her and demanded she sign an undertaking never to return to the Gaza Strip. Only after she signed, did the soldier give back her documents and the permit to enter Israel and she was rapidly evacuated to hospital. 

HaMoked stresses that the military's conduct in this incident was outrageous and unacceptable. The military exploited the distress of a woman with a high risk pregnancy who was in pain and on route to receive medical treatment. HaMoked clarifies that the alleged "undertaking" she was forced to sign has no legal validity owing to the circumstances under which it was obtained. 

HaMoked demands the incident be investigated and measure be taken to ensure that the phenomenon of exploiting the distress of Palestinians on their way to receive medical treatment in order to coerce them to sign "undertakings" is not repeated. HaMoked also calls on the military to carry out educational activities in order to reemphasize to the soldiers at the checkpoint the meaning and significance of their role and remind them of their duty to treat the people passing through the checkpoint adequately.