Turkish-American woman killed in West Bank amid protests

A Turkish-American woman was shot dead Friday while protesting against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army acknowledged opening fire at protesters throwing stones.

Palestinian and Turkish officials said Israeli troops shot and killed 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. 

The White House said it was "deeply disturbed" by Eygi's death but did not say whether she had been shot by Israeli troops and urged Israel to investigate.

The Israeli military said it was looking into reports that a female 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." Israel's military also said the shooting involved an "instigator of violent activity" in the area of the protest. 

What do we know about the shooting?

The shooting occurred shortly after dozens of Palestinians and international activists, many like Eygi from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), held a communal prayer on a hillside outside the northern West Bank town of Beita, which overlooks the Israeli settlement of Evyatar.

Soldiers surrounded the prayer group, and clashes broke out, with Palestinians throwing stones and troops firing tear gas and live ammunition, Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli participating in the protest, told the Associated Press.

Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told the Reuters news agency that Eygi arrived at the hospital in critical condition with a serious head injury and later died of her injuries.

"We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but, unfortunately, she died," he said.

Turkey blames Netanyahu

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Eygi was shot in the head and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for her death. Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said the country would exert "all effort to ensure that those who killed our citizen is brought to justice."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Israeli action as "barbaric."

US says it is 'deeply disturbed' by Eygi's death

White House national security spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement, "we are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysrnur 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," the statement added.

International status of West Bank settlements

Settlements are overwhelmingly viewed by the international community as illegal under international law.

The settlement of Evyatar was initially an unrecognized outpost under Israeli law but was legalized by the Israeli Cabinet in July, in a move the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said was in response to recognition of Palestinian statehood by several countries.

Since terror attacks on Israel on October 7 by the militant Hamas group, which is based in Gaza, Israeli fire has killed over 660 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials. In that time, attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis in the territory have also increased and killed at least 23 Israelis, according to Israeli officials. 

The West Bank is around 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip and is run by the Fatah group.

jsi/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)