American-Turkish activist killed by Israeli forces at West Bank protest

American-Turkish human rights activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, succumbed to her wounds on Friday after being shot in the head by Israeli forces during a weekly protest against settlement expansions in the West Bank, according to Palestinian Authority-run news outlet Wafa. 

During the weekly protest in Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank, IDF soldiers opened fire at the protesters using live ammunition, the report noted. Eygi was subsequently critically wounded in the head. The 26 years old activist was evacuated to Rafida Hospital in Nablus, where she later died.

Fouad Nafaa, the head of the Rafidia Hospital, told Reuters that a woman arrived at the hospital in a very critical condition with a serious head injury.

"We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but unfortunately, she died," he said.

Wafa’s report noted that the IDF used live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protest in Beita, which, in addition to fatally wounding Eygi, caused shrapnel to injure an 18-year-old Palestinian.

Eygi was part of the Faz'a campaign, which supports Palestinian farmers against military and settler violations. Additionally, similar to Rachel Corrie, who was killed in Rafah in 2003 while attempting to interfere with IDF operations, Eygi was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led movement.

Fouad Nafaa, the head of the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told Reuters the woman arrived at the hospital in a critical condition, with a serious head injury. "We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but unfortunately, she died," he said.

Protests in Beita are frequent, with tensions high over Israeli settlement activities in the area, according to Wafa.

Responses to the reports

The Israeli military stated that during a violent public disorder, stones were thrown at IDF forces, who responded by shooting at the lower body of the main instigator of the rioters, according to the IDF.

Additionally, the Israeli military said it was investigating the reports, emphasizing that the details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review.

The IDF has yet to respond to The Jerusalem Post's request for a comment on the incident.

"The Israeli occupation killed an American solidarity activist against the occupation and settlements. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends. This is another crime added to the series of crimes committed daily by the occupation forces, which requires holding its perpetrators accountable in international courts," Ynet cited Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee.

"We have learned with deep regret that our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi has been killed by the Israeli occupation forces," The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded to the reports in a statement.

US 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. 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."

"I condemn Israel's barbaric intervention against a civilian protest," wrote Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on X. He further stated that Turkey "will continue to work on every platform to end Israel's occupation and genocide policy, which has been continuing for almost a year."

İsrail’in Batı Şeria’daki işgal karşıtı sivil bir protestoya karşı yaptığı barbarca müdahaleyi lanetliyor, saldırıda hayatını kaybeden vatandaşımız Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi’ye Allah’tan rahmet niyaz ediyorum.…

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) September 6, 2024

Erdogan ends his post by citing the number of Palestinian dead reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which has also been repeatedly criticized for distorting casualty figures.

Additional incidents

Simultanously to the protests in Beita, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by IDF gunfire in the village of Kiryat, near Shiloh, and a 34-year-old man was wounded by gunfire in his hand, KAN News posted on X on Friday.

ילדה פלסטינית בת 13 נהרגה מירי צה"ל בכפר קריות, באזור שילה. בן 34 נפצע גם הוא מירי בידו.גורם ביטחוני: לוחמי מילואים הגיעו למקום וביצעו ירי כדי לפזר התפרעות אלימה, במהלכה עשרות מתנחלים ופלסטינים יידו אבנים זה לעבר זה. הירי שהוביל להריגת הילדה מתוחקר@carmeldangor @OmerShahar123 pic.twitter.com/1zLqX5ZIwZ

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 6, 2024

According to a security source, reserve soldiers arrived at the violent riots, and after dozens of settlers and Palestinians threw stones at one another, the soldiers opened fire in an attempt to disperse the violent incidents.

The gunfire that led to the girl's death is under investigation.

Another American activist killed 

In March of 2003, American activist Rachel Corrie was killed in Rafah while attempting to prevent an IDF bulldozer from clearing the area near the border with Egypt.

The IDF has a history of demolishing homes and infrastructure used by terrorists.

Nearly a decade later, a Haifa district court judge ruled that Israel was not responsible for Corrie’s death, noting that soldiers present at the time had done “everything they could” to prevent harm being inflicted on those at the scene.

A month after Corrie's death, 22-year-old British activist and photography student Tom Hurndall was killed when he was shot in the head by Bedouin-Israeli IDF sniper Taysir Hayb.

Hurndall spent nine months in a coma before succumbing to his wounds.