American Activist Killed During West Bank Protest, Investigation Underway
An American activist, 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi, was shot and killed during a protest against Israeli settlements near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to both US and Palestinian officials.
The incident occurred during a weekly demonstration in the Palestinian village of Beita, where clashes between protesters and Israeli forces are common.
The Israeli military acknowledged that its troops fired at demonstrators but did not confirm whether other gunmen were present. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), soldiers targeted a protester who was allegedly throwing rocks and posed a threat. The IDF is currently investigating reports that Eygi, a foreign national, was killed by their gunfire.
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew confirmed Eygi’s death and stated that the embassy is “urgently gathering more information” about the incident. The US State Department expressed its condolences to Eygi’s family, emphasizing that they are working to understand the circumstances surrounding her death.
Eyewitnesses, including fellow demonstrators, claim that Eygi was shot in the head while crouching behind a dumpster as Israeli forces fired at the crowd. Eygi was transported to a hospital in Nablus, where she was pronounced dead.
This incident occurs amid ongoing tensions in the West Bank, where protests against Israeli settlements have become more frequent. Israel has recently escalated military operations in the region following its war with Hamas in Gaza, contributing to heightened violence.
Eygi’s death adds to the growing number of casualties in the West Bank, where nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed since October, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the United Nations. The IDF has pledged to review the details of the incident as international attention focuses on the volatile situation.
FOX News, CBS News, the Times of Israel, CNN, and BBC contributed to this report.
