Family calls for investigation into killing of American by Israeli military

The family of a Turkish-American woman who was shot dead by Israeli soldiers during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the West Bank on Friday called for an independent investigation into the incident on Saturday.

They accuse the Israeli military of killing them “brutally”.

The White House expressed “deep concern” and called for an investigation.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, described as an activist, was shot during a quiet period after previous clashes when she posed no threat to Israeli forces, according to witnesses.

“Her presence in our lives was needlessly, unlawfully and violently taken away by the Israeli military,” Eygi’s family said in a statement. “Aysenur, a U.S. citizen, was peacefully pursuing justice when she was killed by a bullet that, according to the video, came from an Israeli military gunman.”

The family called on US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to order an independent investigation and hold those responsible to account.

The body of 26-year-old Turkish-American Aysenur Ezgi Eygi lies in the morgue of a hospital in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on September 7, 2024, a day after she was reportedly “shot in the head” while participating in a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that its forces “responded with fire against a main instigator of the violence who threw stones at the forces and posed a threat to them” during the protest.

The director of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus told Reuters that Eygi was in critical condition and had a head injury.

“We tried to save her, but unfortunately we could not resuscitate her heart due to her severe injury and then we announced that she had died,” said Fouad Nafaa.

Paramedic Faiz Abdel Jabar told Reuters that Israeli forces fired two shots during the protests in Beita near Nablus, one of which hit Eygi in the head.

Eygi, a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was in Beita for a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, ISM reported.

Turkey condemned her killing as “barbaric” and Washington called on Israel to investigate the incident.

At a press conference in the Dominican Republic, Blinken expressed his condolences and said Friday that the U.S. was focused on gathering facts about the shooting.

“First things first: Let us find out exactly what happened. Then we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences,” Blinken said.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the US had reached out to Israel for more information and requested an investigation.

The Israel Defense Forces said on X and Telegram that its forces responded with fire to a key instigator of the violence who was throwing stones and posing a threat.

“The Israel Defense Forces are investigating reports that a foreign national was killed by gunfire from the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances under which she was hit are currently being verified,” the statement said.

The incident followed the Israeli military’s withdrawal from Jenin and the refugee camps after a 10-day operation in the West Bank. The fighting in Jenin left 21 of the 39 Palestinians killed during the operation dead.

In a video interview, Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub confirmed the withdrawal and described it as the most destructive incursion by Israeli forces to date.

Although the Israeli military did not confirm the withdrawal, it summarized its “anti-terror operations in Jenin” and said it had eliminated 14 terrorists, arrested more than 30 suspects and defused explosive devices.

The IDF statement also said that numerous terrorist infrastructure facilities had been demolished, including an underground weapons depot and an explosives laboratory.

Since the conflict began following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military reports that most of those killed were militants.

In the Gaza Strip, Israel’s counter-offensive has claimed nearly 41,000 Palestinian lives, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Most of the dead are women and children. Israel claims most of the dead are fighters.

“The terrorist Wassem Hazem, head of the terrorist organization Hamas in Jenin, was also eliminated,” the Israeli army said. “Hazem directed shootings and bombings in Jenin and was responsible for carrying out other terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.”

Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by the US, UK, EU and others.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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