Israeli soldiers fatally shot an American woman at a West Bank protest
Family of the American killed in the West Bank blames Israel for her death and is demanding an independent investigation.
26-year-old Ayşenur Eygi was fatally shot in the head by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while protesting against Israeli settlement expansion near the Palestinian village of Beita on September 6, two eyewitnesses told CNN.
Ayşenur, who is an American citizen of Turkish descent, was in the West Bank as a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement, a local organization that “resists Israeli occupation of Palestinian land by using non-violent and direct action methods.”
In a statement, the ISM said; “The demonstration, which primarily involved men and children praying, was met with force from the Israeli army stationed on a hill. Initially, the army fired a large amount of tear gas and then began using live ammunition. The Israeli forces fired two rounds. One hit a Palestinian man in the leg, injuring him. The other round was fired at international human rights activists who were observing the demonstration, striking a human rights activist in the head. Eygi died shortly after being transported to a local hospital in Nablus.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement the U.S. government was aware of her death and confirmed her identity. The White House also said it has contacted Israel “to request an investigation into the incident.”
Ayşenur’s family, however, demanded an independent inquiry into their daughter’s death saying the Israeli investigation would not be ‘not adequate’
“Her presence in our lives was taken needlessly, unlawfully, and violently by the Israeli military,” Eygi’s family said in a statement. “A US citizen, Ayşenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter.
“We call on President [Joe] Biden, Vice-President [Kamala] Harris, and Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties.”
Ayşenur, who went by Izgy, was shot at the same weekly demonstration where American teacher and volunteer Amado Sison was shot last month, per Zeteo news