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The White House has expressed concern over the death of a 26-year-old American activist who was killed during a protest in the West Bank by Israeli forces.
What’s the deal: According to reports from the ground, Aysenur Eygi, a 26-year-old American activist born in Turkey, was killed during an anti-settlement protest near the Palestinian village of Beita in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Eygi, who was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement, was shot in the head by Israeli forces as they fired on demonstrators. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers deliberately targeted Eygi while she was standing still, shooting her from behind. She was taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where she was pronounced dead.
What Israel is saying: In a brief statement, the IDF said “Today, during Israeli security forces activity adjacent to the area of Beita, the forces responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them. 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 and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review.”
What the US is saying: In a statement, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said, “We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Egzi Eygi, today in the West Bank and our hearts go out to her family and loved ones. We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident.”
Turkey speaks out: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “I condemn Israel’s barbaric intervention against a civilian protest against the occupation in the West Bank, and pray to God to have mercy on our citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who lost her life in the attack. As Turkey, we will continue to work on every platform to end Israel’s occupation and genocide policy, which has been continuing for almost a year and has killed 41 thousand people, including children, young and old, and to make it account for its crimes against humanity before the law.”
More to come
