Israel’s Military Has Admitted It Shot And Killed This Turkish-American Activist But Said It Was "Unintentional"
Egyi was buried in her hometown in Didim, in Western Turkey on Saturday Sep. 14, when thousands of people gathered for her funeral.
Israel has admitted it shot and killed a 26-year-old Turkish-American woman activist while she was protesting against illegal Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but said it did so "indirectly and unintentionally".
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who is from Seattle and has American and Turkish citizenship, was taking part in a protest in Beita village on Friday, Sep. 6, when Israeli forces shot her in the head.
She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died.
Eygi had arrived in the West Bank on Sep. 3 to join a weekly protest held by residents and activists in Beita against Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Witnesses said that Israeli forces used tear gas and live ammunition on protesters, and in response, protesters threw stones at the troops, according to AP.
Witnesses said the situation then calmed down for about 30 minutes after protesters retreated from the demonstration site, but Israeli forces suddenly fired two shots at the group.
The first bullet hit a Palestinian person in the leg, while the second struck Eygi in the head.
Another activist at the scene told 972 Mag that Eygi and others were standing in plain sight and were not engaged in any violent actions when the shots were fired.
The autopsy report also confirmed that Eygi was killed after a bullet hit her head, Anadolu agency reported.
On Tuesday, Sep. 10, the Israeli military released a statement, saying it had launched an investigation into the killing.
“The inquiry found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by Israeli forces which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot,” the statement said.
It added that it "expresses its deepest regret over the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi."
However, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organization that Eygi volunteered with, has dismissed the Israeli military's claims, saying that she was "intentionally shot and killed."
Her family also issued a statement saying, “We are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional.”
Egyi was buried in her home town in Didim, in Western Turkey on Saturday Sep. 14, when thousands of people gathered for her funeral.
On Saturday, family members, friends and supporters congregated in Eygi’s home town of Didim in western Turkey to bury her.
Turkey’s government said it is investigating Egyi’s death and that it will hold those who killed her accountable in international courts, with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying her death will not go unpunished.
The US called Egyi’s killing "unprovoked and unjustified," adding that “the Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank.”
Her killing comes as Israel recently launched one of its largest military operations in the occupied West Bank, where at least 39 Palestinians, including children, have been killed and 130 others injured.
In parallel to its genocide in Gaza, Israel has now killed 702 Palestinian in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The ongoing protests in Beita initially began in May 2021 after Israel illegally occupied the top of Mount Sabih (also known as Jabal Sabih) and established the illegal Evyatar outpost, which Beita residents and other Palestinian villages claim as their own land.
Since 1967, Israel has established over 280 settlements in the West Bank, including 138 formally recognized settlements and 150 "outposts" – settlements without formal authorization, but where Israeli authorities provide infrastructure, basic services, and security, according to Human Rights Watch.
Since then, the Israeli government has taken steps to legalize the outpost, which is considered illegal under international law.
In July 2024, Israel officially declared the illegal Evyatar outpost as "state land", which further intensified the protests.
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