The White House said it was “deeply disturbed” by the death of an American woman who, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses, was shot in the head by Israeli troops during a protest against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The White House also called for Israel to investigate her killing, which has caused strong reactions across the international community, The Guardian reported.
The US state department confirmed the death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, a volunteer peace activist with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Eygi – a US-Turkey dual national – died on Friday after being fatally shot during a regular protest against settlement expansion in Beita near Nablus, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The ISM, which organises foreign volunteers in the Palestinian territories, said Israeli forces “intentionally shot and killed” an international human rights activist during the weekly protest on Friday morning. It did not name the volunteer, The Guardian said.
“The demonstration, which primarily involved men and children praying, was met with violence from the Israeli army stationed on a hill. The volunteer died shortly after being transported to a local hospital in Nablus,” the ISM said in a statement.
Eygi is the third ISM activist to have been killed since 2000, according to the Associated Press. She was the 18th demonstrator to be killed in Beita since 2020, the ISM said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has called for a "full investigation" into the killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, according to BBC.
Reacting to the killing, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN secretary general, said: "We would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances and that people should be held accountable."
Civilians, he added, "must be protected at all times".