Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American activist and recent graduate of the University of Washington, was tragically killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Friday. Eygi was participating in a protest against the expansion of Israeli settlements near the town of Beita when she was struck by a live bullet to the head. Eyewitnesses reported that Eygi posed no threat at the time of the shooting, which occurred after a period of relative calm following earlier clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers.
The protest began with a communal prayer attended by dozens of Palestinians and international activists. However, the situation escalated shortly after, with confrontations erupting between protesters, who were throwing stones, and Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas and live ammunition. Eygi was shot as the clashes subsided, with soldiers reportedly firing into the crowd from the roof of a nearby house. Two Palestinian doctors confirmed that she was shot in the head, and despite efforts to save her life, she succumbed to her injuries.
Eygi had traveled to the West Bank just two days before her death to participate in the weekly demonstration against the expansion of Israeli settlements. These demonstrations, which often take place near the Israeli settlement of Evyatar, have seen numerous confrontations between protesters and Israeli forces, with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) reporting that 17 Palestinians have been killed in the same location since March 2020. The Israeli military has stated they are investigating the incident, claiming their troops were responding to “instigators of violent activity.” The US government, which confirmed Eygi’s death, has called on Israel to investigate the circumstances of the shooting, stating they are “deeply disturbed” by the killing of a US citizen.
Eygi was born in Turkey and raised in Seattle, holding dual Turkish and American citizenship. She moved to the US as an infant and grew up in Seattle, where she attended local schools before transferring to the University of Washington (UW), graduating in the spring of 2023 with a degree in psychology. Eygi was known for her active involvement in various political causes, including pro-Palestinian activism. She was a passionate advocate for human rights, often participating in protests and organizing educational programs. Her friends and former professors described her as a dedicated and fearless individual who believed in standing up for what she thought was right.
Eygi’s death has drawn widespread condemnation from both local and international figures. Eyewitnesses to the shooting, including fellow ISM activists Jonathan Pollak and Mariam Dag, provided detailed accounts of the events leading to her death. They described seeing soldiers on a rooftop aiming at the crowd before Eygi was shot. Two doctors confirmed that Eygi had been shot in the head, and despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Following the incident, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew expressed concern over Eygi’s death, stating that the US government was gathering more information about the circumstances. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed these sentiments, noting that the US was “intensely focused” on understanding what happened. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the killing, with spokesperson Oncu Keceli stating that Turkey would push to ensure that those responsible were held accountable.
Eygi’s killing took place amid an intensification of violence in the West Bank following the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. The region has seen a sharp increase in Israeli military raids, attacks by Palestinian militants, and violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. According to Palestinian health officials, over 690 Palestinians have been killed in the region since the conflict escalated. Eygi’s death is one of several recent incidents involving the deaths of foreign nationals in the region.
The incident has prompted widespread calls for accountability, with human rights organizations raising concerns over the lack of prosecutions for Israeli soldiers involved in fatal shootings of both Palestinians and international activists. While the Israeli military claims to investigate incidents involving the deaths of civilians, rights groups argue that these investigations rarely lead to meaningful consequences. Eygi’s death, like the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, has once again highlighted concerns about the safety of foreign nationals and civilians in the region.
