The family of a 26-year-old American citizen was killed amid a protest in the occupied territories West Bank she said an Israeli military sniper killed her and said an Israeli investigation into the incident would not be enough.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a recent graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, was fatally shot during a demonstration in Beita on Friday, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) said.
Eygi’s family said, “Aysenur was peacefully advocating for justice when she was killed by a bullet that the video shows came from an Israeli military sniper.”
“We welcome the White House’s statement of condolences, but given the circumstances of Aysenur’s murder, the Israeli investigation is insufficient,” her family said in a statement.
“We call on President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of an American citizen and ensure those responsible are fully held accountable,” they said.
The White House said it had asked the Israeli government for more information and called for an investigation. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said they were “deeply disturbed” by Eygi’s death.
ISM said Eygi was participating in its weekly demonstration in the town of Beita, north of Ramallah, against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In a statement, the organization said the protest “mainly consisted of men and children praying” and was met with violence by the IDF who fired tear gas before using live ammunition.
ISM said Eygi was shot in the head and died shortly after being taken to a hospital in Nablus. Eygi is the 18th protester killed in Beita since 2020 and the only non-Palestinian, according to ISM.
The Israel Defense Forces said they were in the area next to Beitah and “returned fire against a main instigator of the violent activity who threw stones at the forces and posed a threat to them.”
“The IDF is investigating reports that a foreign national has been killed as a result of gunfire in the area.” said the IDF. “The details of the incident and the circumstances in which he was struck are under investigation.”
Eygi was a dual citizen, with Turkish citizenship. In a statement, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said he condemned Israel’s “barbaric intervention against a civilian protest against the occupation in the West Bank.”
Eygi’s profile on the social networking site LinkedIn says she majored in psychology with a minor in Middle Eastern languages and cultures and was committed to underserved communities.
“I am driven by my passion to make a positive impact and constantly seek opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to meaningful projects,” he wrote.
The University of Washington in Seattle said Eygi was a recent graduate, and the UW president called news of her death “horrible.”
“My heart goes out to Aysenur’s family, friends and loved ones,” said President Ana Mari Cauce he said in a statement. “Aysenur was a peer mentor in psychology who helped welcome new students to the department and provided a positive influence in their lives.”
Cauce said Eygi is the second member of the UW community to die in violence in the area. “I stand again with our government and with so many who are working and calling for a ceasefire and a resolution to the crisis,” he said.
Eygi’s family said in a statement on Friday that her killing was an “unimaginable tragedy” and that she had just turned 26. “Aysenur was a loving daughter, sister, partner and aunt,” they said.
“She was kind, brave, silly, supportive and a ray of sunshine. She wore her heart on her sleeves. She felt a deep responsibility to serve others and lived a life of caring for those in need through action,” the family said. . “She was a passionate human rights activist throughout her life – a staunch and steadfast champion of justice.”
Evgi, who graduated from the university three months ago, had taken part in campus protests while a student and then traveled to the West Bank.
“Eisenour felt compelled to travel to the West Bank to stand in solidarity with Palestinian civilians who continue to endure ongoing repression and violence,” they said.
At least two other American citizens have been killed in the West Bank since October 7. Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, 17, was killed by IDF troops in February and Tawfic Hafeth Abdel Jabbar, 17, was killed by Israeli fire in January.
Israeli settlements have expanded rapidly over the past several years, with Israeli settler violence against Palestinians on the rise In April, Human Rights Watch issued a report alleging that armed settlers violently and violently evicted Palestinian residents from at least five West Bank settlements “with the active participation of army units”.
Israeli forces appear to be withdrawing from the city of Jenin and other parts of the West Bank, where the IDF is conducting deadly daily operation which has left ruins in neighborhoods across the city and beyond.
In Jenin, the IDF said at least 14 people it identified as terrorists were killed, including Wassem Hazem, the head of Hamas’ presence in Jenin, who it said had staged shootings and explosive attacks in the area.
More than 30 people were also detained as suspects, although the military did not specify what the suspects were.
Palestinian health officials had said on Thursday that at least 39 people had been killed in the West Bank since Israel launched what it described as an operation to dismantle “terrorist cells” in the area on August 28.
Many of the dead are believed to be members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants, although the Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least eight children were also among those killed at the time.
“For more than a week, Israeli forces have been using deadly, war-like tactics in the northern West Bank, deepening people’s humanitarian needs and raising concerns about the excessive use of force,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. in a humanitarian information published on Wednesday.
OCHA said that between August 27 and September 2, Israeli forces had killed 30 Palestinians in the territory, including seven children, “marking the highest weekly death toll since November 2023.”
In 2022, Israel admitted that one of its soldiers fatally shot Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Aklehwho was covering raids in the occupied West Bank for Al Jazeera at the time. No one in the Israeli military has been prosecuted, and the military has not announced any disciplinary action.
