On Wednesday, September 11th, United States President Joe Biden expressed outrage over the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist shot by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during a protest in the West Bank. Biden labeled the incident as “totally unacceptable” and stated that the U.S. government expects Israel to be fully accountable for the fatal shooting. Eygi was killed while protesting against Israeli settlements near Beita, an event that escalated when IDF forces fired at what they described as a “violent riot.”
According to the IDF’s initial investigation, Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally” by a shot aimed at a key instigator of the protest. Eygi’s family and several witnesses, however, rejected this explanation, arguing that she was deliberately targeted by a sniper from 200 meters away.
Eygi died from a sniper bullet to the head. One colleague of Eygi and activist with the International Solidarity Movement who was with her recounted, “[On September 6], my friend Ayse was murdered by the Israeli occupation forces. Now, her [U.S.] government is saying that they will ask her murderers for the facts. This is a betrayal, and it’s absurd. We know who killed her. The only people there with weapons were the Israeli occupation forces.”
This was the first protest Eygi attended and participated in during her visit to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Despite Israel acknowledging responsibility for the incident, Eygi’s family and human rights advocates are pushing for an independent investigation, which has not yet been initiated by U.S. authorities.
Eygi, a U.S. citizen, organized fundraisers for humanitarian aid and participated in protests at the University of Washington.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced his concerns, calling for changes in how Israeli forces operate in the West Bank, particularly regarding their rules of engagement. Blinken emphasized the importance of ensuring that incidents like Eygi’s death do not happen again, noting that this is the second American citizen killed by Israeli security forces in recent years. He urged Israeli leaders to take immediate steps to prevent further loss of civilian lives.
The activist, who was associated with the International Solidarity Movement, had been protesting peacefully, according to the group’s statement. Eygi’s death has drawn parallels to other cases, including that of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose death in 2022 also went unprosecuted. Eygi’s family has expressed disappointment with the U.S. government’s handling of the case, noting that Biden had not directly reached out to offer condolences or demand an independent inquiry.
Eygi’s killing has further intensified scrutiny of Israeli military operations in the West Bank, which have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians since the escalation of violence last October. Both the U.S. and Israel are under increasing pressure to address the growing tensions in the region.
