An American-Turkish activist who was killed by Israeli forces last week was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally”, the Israeli military has said.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot in the head in Beita, near Nablus, on Friday during a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The 26-year-old arrived at a hospital with a severe head injury but doctors were unable to restart her heart.
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Israel’s military said its inquiry found “it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by [Israeli army] fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot”.
Ms Eygi’s family described their “shock and grief” at her death and demanded an independent investigation.
In a statement, they said Ms Eygi, who was a member of the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement (ISM), “was gentle, brave, silly, supportive, and a ray of sunshine”.
She was a “fiercely passionate human rights activist” and “strong, beautiful and nourishing”, and was “taken needlessly, unlawfully and violently by the Israeli military”, her family said.
“Aysenur just turned 26 and graduated three months ago from the University of Washington, where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures… Aysenur felt compelled to travel to the West Bank to stand in solidarity with Palestinian civilians who continue to endure ongoing repression and violence.”
Her family has also insisted “an Israeli investigation is not adequate” and demanded the US intervene “to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties”.
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US ‘deplores’ citizen death in West Bank
Killing ‘unprovoked and unjustified’
The White House had said it was “deeply disturbed” by the death of Ms Eygi and called on Israel to investigate.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the killing was “unprovoked and unjustified” and showed Israeli forces needed to make fundamental changes in their rules of engagement.
Turkey’s foreign ministry described her death as “murder” and President Tayyip Erdogan said he would “continue to work in every platform to halt Israel’s policy of occupation and genocide”. Israel denies its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories amount to genocide.
Protesters give details on shooting
Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli participating in the protest on Friday, said the shooting happened after dozens of Palestinians and international activists gathered outside the town of Beita, overlooking the Israeli settlement of Evyatar.
He said Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and live ammunition at Palestinians who were throwing stones and later two soldiers on the roof of a nearby home fired in the group’s direction.
Mariam Dag, another ISM activist at the protest, said she saw an Israeli soldier on a rooftop then heard two shots and saw blood coming from Ms Eygi’s head.
The ISM has claimed 17 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces at the weekly Beita protests since March 2020.
‘Full-fledged war’
Last month the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched raids across the occupied West Bank and sealed off the city of Jenin in what the Israeli foreign minister described as a “full-fledged war” against “Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures”.
It came after dozens of Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, attacked a West Bank village and torched homes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he viewed the attack with the “utmost severity” – but his military has been accused of standing by as attacks take place.
