An American activist has been killed during a protest against settlements in the West Bank.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was shot in the head just days after arriving in the region as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement.
Israel has confirmed that its forces opened fire on a group in response to “violent activities”.
It has not yet been confirmed by officials whether Eygi was hit by an Israel Defense Forces bullet, or whether other gunmen were present. Witnesses who were also part of the protest say only the IDF had weapons.
“We are deeply shocked by the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Egzi Eygi, today in the West Bank and our condolences go out to her family and loved ones,” a White House National Security Council spokesman said.
“We have contacted the Israeli government to request more information and launch an investigation into the incident.”
American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, has been killed during a protest in the West Bank
“Today, the Israeli security forces responded to the instigator of the violent activities in the Beita area by shooting. He threw stones at the troops and posed a threat to them,” an Israeli army spokesman said.
“The IDF is investigating reports that a foreigner was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances under which she was hit are currently being investigated.”
Eygi was rushed to Rafida Hospital in Nablus, but she stopped breathing en route and succumbed to her injuries.
The Turkish-American citizen was a volunteer with the Faz3a campaign, which works with Palestinian farmers demonstrating against Israeli settlements.
She arrived this week and attended a protest against the expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian town of Beita, 13 kilometers southeast of Nablus.
Paramedic Fayez Abdul Jabbar said the Israeli army fired two rounds of live ammunition, one hitting a foreign activist and the other an unidentified person who was less seriously injured.
Eygi, a Seattle native, studied psychology at the University of Washington with a minor in Middle Eastern languages and cultures
Jonathan Pollak, an anti-Israel activist who was also present, described trying to stop the bleeding from Eygi’s head.
“I put my hand on the back of her head to try to stop the bleeding,” he told the New York timeS“She had a very weak pulse.”
Another ISM volunteer, Mariam Dag, said the incident took place during a “peaceful demonstration.”
‘The situation escalated when the Israeli army started firing tear gas and live ammunition, forcing us to retreat.
We were standing on the road, about 200 meters from the soldiers, with a sniper clearly visible on the roof.
Our fellow volunteer was standing a bit further back, near an olive tree with a few other activists. Nevertheless, the army deliberately shot her in the head.’
Cemal Birden, Eygi’s uncle, added that he had warned Eygi not to travel to the region.
“My niece was such a pure, such a good child,” he said. Just last month, an American activist was shot in the leg by Israeli forces as they tried to suppress a protest in Beita.
Last October, Israeli soldiers shot dead 17-year-old Palestinian Karam Dweikat during protests in Beita.
Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas condemned the latest death in a statement to Reuters.
“This is her life, a foreign citizen with American nationality … during peaceful popular protests,” Daghlas said.
“All legal measures will be submitted to the International Criminal Court,” he added in a statement. “The bullets do not distinguish between a Palestinian, a child, a woman or any other nationality.”
“Now she is deceased. She is an American citizen with American nationality, which means Israel is crossing all borders,” the governor continued.
“We call on President Biden to cease all support to the occupying state, as the occupying state is doing everything it can to bomb hospitals, kill children, and kill foreigners, including American citizens.”
The Turkish-American citizen was a volunteer with the Faz3a campaign, which works with Palestinian farmers protesting against Israeli settlements. Pictured: Protesters sit in front of Israeli border guards during an earlier protest vigil
Eygi, a Seattle native, studied psychology at the University of Washington with a minor in Middle Eastern languages and cultures.
Her LinkedIn page states that she worked as a mentor for students at the university.
She was born in Antalya, Turkey in 1998, but attended West Seattle High School, according to her Facebook page.
The Turkish government issued a statement on Friday accusing Netanyahu’s government of “murder.”
“Israel seeks to intimidate anyone who comes to the aid of the Palestinian people and peacefully fights against the genocide,” the statement said.
“This policy of violence will not work. The Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will be held accountable before international courts.”
Eran Maoz, 23, who attended the protest, contradicted the Israeli army’s version of events, claiming he saw snipers on a rooftop in Beita.
The IDF said it opened fire during the protest after a “violent” instigator began throwing rocks. It did not confirm that its soldiers were responsible for Eygi’s death.
‘There was no preparation for firing live ammunition, the army started shooting from the first moment.
‘At one point the army took control of a residential house in Beita and went to the roof. This was very far from the people who were being shot at, these people did not pose a threat to the soldiers.’
Maoz says a child was also shot. The official Palestinian government news agency, WAFA, also reports that Bana Amjad Bakr, a 13-year-old girl, was shot in her bedroom near Nablus, reportedly by Israeli forces. Israel has yet to confirm or deny the reports.
‘I was standing about 100 meters away from her, but my first attention went to a child who had been hit by bullet fragments after it fell to the ground near us.
“I started screaming for the ambulance to come. I looked over and saw that he wasn’t the only one who had been shot, but this woman was also shot in the head, she was lying there, unresponsive and not moving.
“Her head was covered in blood. The hands of the people who helped her were covered in blood.”
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, told the BBC The agency is “urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more.”
Eygi had traveled to the region just a few days earlier and was volunteering with Faz3a, a campaign supporting Palestinian farmers against Israeli expansion.
“We are aware of the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the West Bank,” US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told the New York Times“We express our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Demonstrators protesting against Israel called for an international investigation.
Mohammed Khatib, a leading member of Faz3a, said they are demanding an international investigation into Eygi’s death.
“There should be punishment for the soldiers who directly attacked and shot Aysenur,” he said.
ISM and Faz3a are working together on a campaign called Defend Palestine to provide civilian protection against Israeli violence.
“Today they killed one of our volunteers. It is an ongoing policy of the Israelis to frighten all the people who come to help the Palestinians, to isolate the Palestinians from their supporters and to carry out their policy of land transfers and the construction of further settlements,” Khatib said.
‘Today, like others, Aysenur gave her life for the Palestinian people. We as Palestinians are very emotional and very grateful to her and her family, to whom we send our deepest condolences.
“We hope that this situation and the occupation will end and that justice will be served for Aysenur and all the others murdered by these criminals from the Israeli side.”
It comes after Israeli troops withdrew from three refugee camps in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. Pictured: Mourners at the funeral of eight Palestinians who died in the attacks
Residents of Beita recently resumed their weekly Friday demonstrations against Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, including an outpost in Evyatar.
Although the protests subsided after October 7, they flared up again in early July and clashes broke out.
This came after Israeli troops withdrew from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning, following a military operation that lasted more than a week and left dozens of dead and a trail of destruction.
