| Part of the Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Israel–Hamas war and the Israel-Hamas war protests | |
| Date | 6 September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Beita, Nablus, West Bank (Palestine) |
| Type | Shooting |
| Deaths | 1 (Aysenur Ezgi Eygi) |
| Accused | Israel Defense Forces (IDF) |
On 6 September 2024, 26-year-old woman Aysenur Ezgi Eygi (born July 27, 1998), an American and Turkish dual citizen, was shot and killed by Israeli Defense Forces personnel during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in Beita, Nablus, in the West Bank.[1]
Background
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was born in Turkey on July 27, 1998[2] and raised in Seattle, Washington.[3] She graduated from Seattle Central College in 2022 with an associate's degree in arts.[4] She graduated from the University of Washington in June 2024 with a degree in psychology and "a minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures".[3] Eygi had previously been involved in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline,[5] and was active in pro-Palestinian activism on the UW campus. She was considering attending graduate school to study Near East archaeology.[6]
Eygi arrived in the West Bank on 3 September 2024 to engage in activism work with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).[1]
Shooting and death
On 6 September 2024, Eygi attended a protest in Beita, near the Israel settlement of Evyatar. The protest, which is held weekly, calls for the end of settlement expansion in the West Bank.[1]
According to witnesses, Eygi was shot by IDF personnel during the protest.[1][7] An Israeli witness from the group Defend Palestine[8] said the shooting occurred following a communal prayer held by both Palestinian and non-Palestinian activists. IDF forces "surrounded" the protesters, leading to confrontations between the two groups. The protesters began throwing stones, while the soldiers began using tear gas and firing live ammunition; in response, the protesters retreated from the area. According to witnesses, about 30 minutes after the confrontations had ended, two soldiers on a roof about 200 yards away shot into the crowd of protesters.[1][3] Witnesses reported hearing two shots; one hit an 18-year-old Palestinian protester in the leg,[9] while the other hit Eygi in the head.[1][3]
Eygi was brought to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where she was confirmed dead.[1][7] The director of the hospital, Dr. Fouad Naffa, as well as another doctor who administered first aid, Ward Basalat, confirmed to media that Eygi had been shot in the head.[1]
Responses
Domestic
- Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, tweeted that Eygi's death was "another crime added to the series of crimes committed daily by the occupation forces".[1]
- The IDF confirmed on 6 September that troops had fired in Beita "toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them," and that the "details of the incident and the circumstances in which [Eygi] was hit are under review".[8]
International
Governments
- The U.S. State Department confirmed Eygi's death and identity on 6 September.[8] National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement that the U.S. was "deeply disturbed" by the event.[1] They also requested that Israel open an investigation into Eygi's death.[10] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also made a statement that the U.S. government would share more information as it became available, and "as necessary, we'll act on it".[8]
- The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned "this murder committed by the Netanyahu [Israeli] Government"[8] and spokesman Oncu Keceli said that Turkey will "ensure that those who killed our citizen is brought to justice".[1]
- The Qatar Foreign Ministry put out a statement condemning Ezgi Eygi's death: "The heinous crime is part of a series of ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian cause and human rights. The silence of the international community regarding these violations is an incentive for the occupation to commit more atrocities".[11]
- The Foreign Ministry of Jordan condemned Ezgi Eygi's death and asked for the perpetrators to be held responsible.[11]
Organizations
- United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that the organization wants to see a "full investigation of the circumstances" of the incident.[12]
- The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor expressed its “huge shock” following the killing and said that they will investigate the incident.[13]
- The Peace & Justice Project organization said that the attack was a result of "an emboldened Israel, committing acts of ethnic cleansing with the support of UK and US governments".[14]
See also
- American citizens killed by the IDF:
- Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen abducted and killed by Hamas
- Israeli occupation of the West Bank
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tufana, Aref; Frankel, Julia (2024-09-06). "Israeli soldiers fatally shot an American woman at a West Bank protest, witnesses say". AP News. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Ensonhaber (2024-09-06). "İsrail askerleri Filistin'de Türk aktivist kadını öldürdü". Ensonhaber (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ a b c d Fahim, Kareem; Morris, Loveday; Hudson, John; Birnbaum, Michael (2024-09-06). "U.S. woman fatally shot at West Bank protest; witnesses say IDF shot her". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Seattle Colleges Class of 2022" (PDF). Seattle Colleges.
- ^ "Police arrest holdouts, scores of demonstrators refuse to leave pipeline protest camp". The Seattle Times. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "American woman killed at West Bank protest was UW grad". The Seattle Times. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ a b Mick, Krever; Dahman, Ibrahim; Khadder, Kareem; Salman, Abeer; Kourdi, Eyad; Hansler, Jennifer (2024-09-06). "US activist killed after Israeli military fires at protest in West Bank". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e "American woman Aysenur Eygi killed at pro-Palestinian protest in Israeli-occupied West Bank". CBS News. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Green, Eyal; Halpern, Sam (2024-09-06). "American-Turkish activist killed by Israeli forces at West Bank protest". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "White House requests investigation of American woman's killing in West Bank". NBC News. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ a b Najjar, Ylenia Gostoli,Farah. "Women, children among the dead as Israel attacks the West Bank and Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Israeli forces kill American-Turkish activist in the occupied West Bank". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ "Israeli forces kill American-Turkish activist in the occupied West Bank". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ "Israeli forces kill American-Turkish activist in the occupied West Bank". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
This page was last edited on 7 September 2024, at 08:44