TEL AVIV, April 6, 201 0(WAFA)-The Israel Army  is investigating the death of a Palestinian-French citizen who died last Saturday, at the Al-Hamra checkpoint, North West Bank, daily Haaretz said.

Ali Elayat, 63, a resident of the northern West Bank village of Deir Abu De'if, had collapsed from dehydration while he was kept waiting at the al-Hamra checkpoint, after suffering a heart attack shortly after he was held up for hours at the checkpoint.

Haaretz said, the checkpoint sits on the major roadway connecting Nablus and the Jordan Valley.

Palestinian sources said Elayat, who did not have any ID with him, was forced to wait hours while soldiers checked his residency status.

A complaint on the matter was filed with the Israeli Army District Coordinating Office, the body responsible for liaising with the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus.

 According to the Israeli Army Spokesman's Office, the investigation is now in the hands of the army's top commander in the Jordan Valley, Col. Yochai Ben-Yishai.

'In many instances you see a case where an innocent civilian comes to a checkpoint and you want to let him pass, but our orders are not to allow him to do so until clearance is given over the radio by an officer,' said an Army reservist who recently completed a tour of duty at a West Bank checkpoint. He added 'Sometimes clearance arrives after a long period of time.'