A Turkish-American female activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was fatally shot on Friday during a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita. The Israeli army acknowledged opening fire during the protest, confirming the death of the activist. Eygi was identified by Turkish authorities as the victim and was described as being in her mid-20s. The Israeli army stated that their forces responded with fire towards a “main instigator of violent activity” who hurled rocks at the troops and posed a threat. They are currently investigating reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of their actions.
Eygi, a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organization, was participating in a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlements in Beita. The demonstration took place after a weekly Friday prayer held in protest against an Israeli settlement outpost in the area. According to reports, Eygi was shot in the head and later died at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, with Turkey condemning the “murder” of Eygi by “Israeli occupation soldiers.”
The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, described Eygi’s death as “tragic” but did not immediately assign responsibility. He stated that Washington was gathering information about the circumstances of her death and would provide further details once they had learned more.
The incident comes amidst escalating violence in the region. Since Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 661 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. During this period, at least 23 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the territory, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli settlements in the West Bank, where approximately 490,000 people reside, are deemed illegal under international law. The United Nations considers them an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Hamas, in a statement, condemned the “crime committed by the Zionist occupation army” resulting in Eygi’s death. They described the incident as an extension of the “deliberate crimes committed by the occupation against foreign activists in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee, extended condolences to Eygi’s family and called for accountability in international courts. “Another crime added to the series of crimes committed daily by the occupation forces, which require that their perpetrators be held accountable in international courts,” he said.
