Witness statement: American woman killed by Israeli troops during protests in the West Bank

An American woman was shot dead by Israeli soldiers on Friday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, a witness said.

The director of Rafidia Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus told Reuters the woman was admitted to hospital in critical condition with a head injury.

“We tried to save her, but unfortunately we could not resuscitate her heart due to her severe injury and then we announced that she had died,” said Fouad Nafaa.

The woman was identified as 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who is described as a Turkish-American activist.

Faiz Abdel Jabar, a local medic, told Reuters what was happening during the protests in the town of Beita, not far from Nablus. Demonstrations there have been taking place regularly recently and are becoming increasingly violent.

“As usual, we have a Friday prayer at Jabal Subaih, and the foreign activists have also joined us,” he said. “The [Israeli] The army came and fired two bullets. One aimed at a young man and he was fine, and the second bullet hit the foreign activist in the head.”

At a joint press conference in the Dominican Republic with Dominican President Luis Abinader, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his deepest condolences to Eygi's family on behalf of the US government.

Blinken said the U.S. regrets this tragic loss and is focused on gathering the facts about the shooting.

“First things first: Let us find out exactly what happened and we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from it,” Blinken said.

“As you have heard me say many times, there is no higher priority for me than the safety and security of American citizens around the world, wherever they may be. This is something I take with the utmost seriousness. As we have more information, we will share it, make it available and, if necessary, act accordingly.”

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett also issued a statement.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank today and our condolences go out to her family and loved ones,” the statement said. “We have reached out to the Israeli government to request further information and call for an investigation into the incident.”

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement on the incident on its X and Telegram social media accounts, saying: “During today's Israeli security forces activity near the Beita area, the forces responded with fire to a main instigator of the violence who threw stones at the forces and posed a threat to them.”

“The Israel Defense Forces are investigating reports that a foreign national was killed by gunfire from the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances under which she was hit are currently being verified,” the statement said.

The incident occurred as the Israeli military withdrew from the city of Jenin and its three refugee camps early Friday, after a 10-day operation in the occupied West Bank. The fighting in Jenin left 21 dead of 39 Palestinians who local health officials say were killed during the Israeli operation. The military says most were militants.

In a video interview with the Associated Press, Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub confirmed the withdrawal and called it the most devastating incursion by Israeli forces yet. The video shows destroyed and damaged buildings and streets covered with rubble.

Although the Israeli military did not confirm the withdrawal, it issued a statement on Friday summarizing its “anti-terrorist operations in Jenin,” saying that “14 terrorists were eliminated, over 30 suspects were arrested, and about 30 explosive devices were placed under roads. [that were] dismantled.”

The statement continued: “Numerous terrorist infrastructure sites were destroyed, including an underground weapons depot beneath a mosque and a laboratory for manufacturing explosives.”

Nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the war began following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Palestinian health officials say. The militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Israel believes Hamas is still holding about 100 hostages, including 42 who the military says are dead.

The Israeli counter-offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The ministry makes no distinction between fighters and civilians, but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel says most of the dead are fighters.

“Terrorist Wassem Hazem, head of the terrorist organization Hamas in Jenin, was also eliminated,” the statement said. “Hazem directed shootings and bombings in the Jenin area and was responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.”

Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the US, UK, EU and others.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.