Israeli forces kill American-Turkish activist in occupied West Bank | News on the Israel-Palestine conflict

Israeli forces have shot dead an American-Turkish activist during a demonstration in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa and a hospital official reported.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was taking part in a protest against illegal Israeli settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, south of Nablus, on Friday when she was shot.

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

“We tried to resuscitate her, but unfortunately she died,” he said.

Ezgi Eygi was shot when Israeli forces fired live ammunition, stun grenades and tear gas at protesters, Wafa reported, citing local sources.

Jonathan Pollak, a witness, told Al Jazeera that he found Ezgi Eygi “lying on the ground beneath an olive grove, bleeding to death.”

“I put my hand under her head to stop the bleeding and felt her pulse. Her pulse was very weak. We called the ambulance and took her to the ambulance, which evacuated her.”

Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas said that following the killing of Ezgi Eygi, “all legal measures” would be submitted to the International Criminal Court.

“We call on President Biden to stop all support for the occupying state, as the occupying state is working hard to bomb hospitals, kill children and foreigners, including American citizens,” he told reporters.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying its forces “responded with fire to a key instigator of the violence who threw stones at the forces who posed a threat to them.”

The agency said it was investigating reports “that a foreign national was killed by gunfire in the area.”

In the incident, an 18-year-old Palestinian suffered shrapnel injuries to his thigh, Wafa reported.

US seeks ‘urgent’ information as Turkey condemns shooting

The US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, said on X: “We are urgently gathering further information on the circumstances of their [Ezgi Eygi’s] death, and we will say more as we learn more. For us, the safety of the American people has no higher priority.”

We are aware of the tragic death of American citizen Aysenur Eygi, who died today in the West Bank. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will comment more as soon as we learn more…

— Ambassador Jack Lew (@USAmbIsrael) 6 September 2024

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was “urgently gathering further information” and “will comment more as soon as we know more”.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that by killing its citizen, Israel “is trying to intimidate all those who come to the aid of the Palestinian people and fight peacefully against the genocide. This policy of violence will not work.”

“The Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will be held accountable before international courts,” the statement said.

Ezgi Eygi was part of the International Solidarity Movement, which describes itself as a Palestinian-led movement “committed to ending the long-standing and systematic oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people using non-violent methods and principles of direct action.”

She was demonstrating against the violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which has increased since the start of Israel's war against Gaza in October.

The vast majority of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal, and the administration of US President Joe Biden says the settlements are “inconsistent with international law”.

Yet the United States has provided diplomatic protection to Israel over the years, consistently using its veto power in the UN Security Council to shield Israel from diplomatic criticism.