American Shot Dead At West Bank Demo Where Israeli Forces Opened Fire

A Turkish-American woman was shot dead Friday while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, where the army acknowledged opening fire

Nablus, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Sep, 2024) A Turkish-American woman was shot dead Friday while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, where the army acknowledged opening fire.

Turkey identified the woman as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, condemning her death, while the United States called it a "tragic" event and pressed its ally Israel to investigate.

The UN rights office said Israeli forces killed Eygi with a "shot in the head", while an AFP photographer saw medics rushing her into a Nablus hospital with her head wrapped in bandages.

The UN said Eygi, 26, was participating in a "peaceful anti-settlement protest" in Beita, the scene of weekly demonstrations.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- where about 490,000 people live -- are illegal under international law.

The Eviatar settlement outpost overlooking Beita has been backed by far-right Israeli ministers and has drawn protesters to the nearby hillside in recent years, during which Israeli forces have killed multiple Palestinians.

Eygi arrived at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus "with a gunshot in the head" and was later pronounced dead, said hospital director Fouad Nafaa.

Turkey said she was killed by "Israeli occupation soldiers", with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning the Israeli action as "barbaric".

Israel's top ally Washington said it had "reached out to the government" for more information.

"We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Qatar -- a key mediator in truce talks to end the Gaza war -- condemned the "Israeli occupation's assassination" of Eygi as a "heinous crime".

"The silence of the international community in the face of these horrific violations is a renewed incentive for the occupation to commit more atrocities," a foreign ministry statement said.