Beita, West Bank – The United Nations has called for a “full investigation” into the fatal shooting of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old US-Turkish national, during a protest in the occupied West Bank. Eygi was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces while participating in a weekly demonstration against the expansion of Jewish settlements in the town of Beita, near Nablus.
Eyewitnesses and local media reported that two shots were fired during the protest, which ultimately led to Eygi’s death. Israel’s military confirmed they are “looking into reports that a foreign national was killed” and are investigating the circumstances.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, emphasized the need for accountability: “We would want to see a full investigation of the circumstances and that people should be held accountable.” He further stressed the need to protect civilians during protests.
The United States has also expressed deep concern over the incident. Sean Savett, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated that Washington was “deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen” and has reached out to Israel for more details and an investigation.
Jewish-Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, who attended the protest, stated that he had seen Israeli soldiers positioned on a rooftop aiming at protesters and heard two gunshots in quick succession.
Pollak described rushing to help Eygi, who had been lying under an olive tree, critically wounded. “I took her pulse, and it was very, very weak,” he recounted. Eygi was transported to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus but succumbed to her injuries. Dr. Fouad Nafaa, head of the hospital, confirmed that the US citizen had died from a gunshot wound to the head.
This was reportedly Eygi’s first protest with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group. Before her involvement, she had recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she was remembered as having a “positive influence” on other students.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that their forces had been responding to “violent activity” in Beita, claiming that protesters had hurled rocks at them, posing a threat. “The IDF is looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident are under review,” the statement read.
Pollak, however, contested the military’s claim, stating that while there were clashes at the protest, there was no stone-throwing in the area where Eygi was shot. The killing occurred amidst heightened tensions in the West Bank, where Israeli forces had recently completed a major nine-day operation in Jenin. During the operation, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least 36 Palestinians were killed, including members of armed groups and children.
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, home to more than 700,000 Jews, are considered illegal under international law, a position supported by the UN Security Council and the UK government. However, Israel disputes this interpretation.
Both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the shooting. Erdogan called the killing “barbaric,” while Blinken lamented the “tragic loss.” Turkey’s foreign ministry issued a strong statement, accusing Israeli occupation forces of killing Eygi. The investigation into her death continues as calls for justice grow louder on the international stage.
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