Israeli forces have fatally shot a Turkish-American activist during a demonstration in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa and a hospital official reported.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was taking part in the protest against illegal Israeli settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, south of Nablus, on Friday when she was shot.
Fouad Nafaa, director of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told Reuters news agency that Ezgi Eygi arrived at the hospital in critical condition with a serious head wound.
“We tried to resuscitate him, but unfortunately he passed away,” he explained.
Ezgi Eygi was shot when Israeli forces fired live ammunition, stun grenades and tear gas at protesters, Wafa reported, citing local sources.
Jonathan Pollak, a witness, told Al Jazeera that he found Ezgi Eygi “lying on the ground under an olive grove, bleeding to death”.
“I put my hand under her head to try to stop the bleeding and I took her pulse. Her pulse was very weak. We called the ambulance and we put her in the ambulance which evacuated her.”
Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas said “all legal measures” would be submitted to the International Criminal Court following the killing of Ezgi Eygi.
“We call on President Biden to stop all support to the occupying state because the occupying state is working hard to bomb hospitals and kill children and kill foreigners, including American citizens,” he told reporters.
The Israeli military issued a statement saying its forces had “responded with fire against a main instigator of the violent activity who threw stones at forces that posed a threat to them.”
He said he was investigating reports “that a foreign national was killed as a result of gunfire in the area.”
During the incident, an 18-year-old Palestinian suffered shrapnel wounds to his thigh, Wafa reported.
US seeks 'urgent' information as Türkiye condemns shooting
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said on X: “We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of his [Ezgi Eygi’s] death, and we will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens.”
We are aware of the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the West Bank. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more…
— Ambassador Jack Lew (@USAmbIsrael) September 6, 2024
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States was “urgently gathering more information” and “will have more to say as we learn more.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that by killing its citizen, “Israel is trying to intimidate all those who come to the aid of the Palestinian people and peacefully fight against genocide. This policy of violence will not work.”
“Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will be held accountable before international courts,” the statement said.
Ezgi Eygi was part of the International Solidarity Movement, which describes itself as a Palestinian-led movement “committed to resisting the long-standing and systematic oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian population, using methods and principles of non-violent direct action.”
He was protesting against Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which has escalated since Israel's war on Gaza began in October.
The vast majority of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal, and US President Joe Biden’s administration says the settlements are “incompatible with international law.”
But the United States has provided diplomatic cover for Israel over the years and Washington has systematically used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to shield Israel from diplomatic censure.
