An American-Turkish dual national has been shot dead – reportedly by Israeli troops – while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old volunteer with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement, died in hospital on Friday after being shot in the head during a protest in Beita, near Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Witnesses said she was shot at by Israeli soldiers positioned in a nearby field after “minor clashes” broke out. Troops surrounded a group of people praying, and Palestinians began to throw stones, which the soldiers responded to with teargas and live ammunition.
A paramedic, Fayez Abdul Jabbar, told Al-Quds News Network: “We usually have weekly confrontations at [the area]. During these confrontations [on Friday], the army fired two live bullets: one hit a foreigner, and the other hit another person, whose injury is less severe.” Eygi was treated on the way to hospital, he added. Fouad Nafaa, the head of the Rafidia hospital in Nablus, said doctors tried to resuscitate her, but she died on the operating table.
The US state department was urgently gathering more information about Eygi’s “tragic” death, the spokesperson Matthew Miller said, without immediately assigning responsibility for it. The White House said in a statement it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing and was seeking an Israeli investigation.
“As Turkey, we will continue to strive on every platform to end Israel’s occupation and genocide policy … and to make it accountable before the law for its crimes against humanity.”
The Context of the Protest
The protest Eygi was participating in was directed against the expansion of the Israeli settlement of Evyatar, which is located on land seized from Palestinians in 2013. While all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, Evyatar was built without Israeli government permission, making it an “outpost”, which is illegal even under Israeli law. The future of the settlement has been contested in the Israeli courts for years, leading to regular protests from both Palestinians and settlers.
Last April, a march at Evyatar demanding the outpost be legalised was attended by at least 1,000 people, including far-right members of the government, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Simcha Rothman. Last month, the Israeli cabinet legalized several outposts, including Evyatar.
Violence at Protests
Eygi’s death is the latest in a series of violent incidents at protests related to Evyatar. According to human rights groups, at least 10 Palestinians, including two children, have been killed by Israeli troops in these protests since 2021. Another US national volunteering with the Palestinian residents was shot in the leg during a Friday protest last month. The Israeli military said the man was “accidentally injured”.
Eygi’s death has been met with international condemnation. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the US was “intensely focused” on determining what happened and that “we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from that.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the killing in a statement shared on X, saying that it “was carried out by the Netanyahu government.”
Escalating Violence and Tensions
The violence in the West Bank has been escalating in recent months. Settler violence against Palestinians has soared since 7 October, forcing dozens of communities to abandon their homes. Palestinian officials and rights groups have long accused the IDF of standing by or even joining in settler attacks. Several of Israel’s western allies, including the US, have recently imposed sanctions on individuals and organisations associated with the settler movement.
The tensions have been further exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The two sides have been engaged in a war for almost 11 months, with no end in sight. Internationally mediated talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire and hostage release have repeatedly stalled.
A Tragic Loss
The death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi is a tragic loss. She was a young woman who was committed to fighting for peace and justice in the West Bank. Her death is a reminder of the dangers faced by those who speak out against the occupation. It is also a reminder of the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
