A Turkish-American citizen was killed in the village of Beita, near Nablus by Israeli troops while protesting against the illegal expansion of Israel into the West Bank.
On September 6th, Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was attending a scheduled protest alongside other activists and Palestinians in the West Bank. The Palestinians news network WAFA, along with eyewitnesses reported Eygi was shot in the back of the head by Israeli military personnel. “As people were running away, live fire was shot and a soldier fired directly at the protestors, hitting the American activist in the head from behind and falling to the ground,” said witness Dr. Hisham Dweikat. Eygi was found shot and bleeding beneath an olive tree and was immediately taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, after being treated by paramedics. She passed on the operating table inside the hospital. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah stated that she arrived “with serious occupation gunshot wounds to the head,” and added, “medical teams have announced her death after resuscitation attempts and treatment.”
Israel has admitted to firing at the protestors and claims to be looking into the reports of Ayşenur Eygi’s death. IDF (Israel Defense Forces) claim that their security forces fired, “toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.” The Israeli army said, following a brief investigation that “it was highly likely she was hit” by its soldiers adding that it was “indirectly and unintentionally.” Although Israel claims the killing was accidental, growing evidence and witness accounts suggest the action was deliberate. Turkey condemned the killing and is conducting its own investigation into her death. “We are not going to leave our daughter’s blood on the ground and we demand responsibility and accountability for this murder,” said the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, Numan Kurtulmusl.
Thousands of people gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of Ayşenur Eygi in her hometown Didim, Turkey. Ayşenur was a dual-citizen of Turkey and the United States, a 26 year-old woman living in Seattle. She was a recent graduate of the University of Washington with plans to attend graduate school to earn a law degree. “All of Ayşenur’s teachers, mentors, friends, and community are devastated by news of her tragic death. Ayşenur was a bright light in our community of learning—a gentle, generous, and powerful spirit,” stated the University of Washington. She was a student leader in the Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone on the UW campus. From a young age, Ayşenur was involved in social justice issues and she had attended protests since 2016. Eygi was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a group that has organized protests against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the treatment of Palestinians since before the current war in Gaza began.
The U.S. State Department is aware of her death but hasn’t revealed additional details at this time. “We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” said the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller. Joe Biden along with Kamala Harris have made statements taking accountability for Eygi’s killing, in note of the Biden administration’s support of Israel. “The shooting that led to her death is unacceptable and raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank,” said Harris regarding her death.
