Aysenur Eygi, 26, was participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements when she was fatally shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. Eygi, an American activist of Turkish origin, had traveled to the region as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, an organization that advocates for Palestinian rights. The protest, part of a weekly demonstration against the Israeli settlement of Avitar near the Palestinian village of Beita, aimed to draw attention to the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. While these settlements are approved by the Israeli government, they are considered illegal under international law.Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have shot and killed a U.S. citizen in the West Bank, according to U.S. and Palestinian officials.
American 🇺🇸 human rights activist shot to death by Israeli 🇮🇱 soldiers near Nablus, occupied West Bank, Palestine 🇵🇸
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, a Turkish 🇹🇷 woman with American citizenship, was killed by Israeli army fire during a protest in the West Bank town of Beita, near Nablus… pic.twitter.com/6EK1BTgLn0
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) September 6, 2024 The U.S. State Department and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry both confirmed Eygi’s death. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian officials, speaking to CNN, said the Israeli military was responsible for the shooting. Israeli forces stated that demonstrators had been throwing rocks at soldiers. Dr. Hisham Dweikat, a Beita resident who attended the protest, told CNN that as the demonstration was winding down, the Israeli military began firing tear gas into the crowd. “As people were running away, live fire was shot, and a soldier fired directly at the protesters, hitting the American activist in the head from behind,” Dweikat said. Vivi Chen, an American activist who volunteers for the same organization as Eygi, said, “We were all at the bottom of the hill and the Israeli army was at the top. There were two volunteers sitting behind a dumpster and they fired one shot at the dumpster. It hit a metal plane. And then there was another shot and they shot – they shot her in the head.” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "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." He added, “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.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to the Dominican Republic on Friday, “We deplore this tragic loss,” adding that when the government obtains more information, “we will share it, make it available and, as necessary, we'll act on it." There has been a long, well-documented history of violence committed against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has only increased since last year’s Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Since that time, at least 691 people have been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the West bank.
