'I Begged Her...': School Teacher of US-Turkish Woman Shot Dead By Israeli Troops

Ramallah: A Turkish-American activist was shot and killed by Israeli troops during a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, according to Palestinian and Turkish officials. The victim, 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi, was a dual citizen of the United States and Turkey. The protest took place in the village of Beita near Nablus, an area that has seen recurring confrontations between Palestinians and Jewish settlers.

Eygi, a recent graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, was participating in the protest when she was shot. The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, WAFA, reported that the demonstration was part of a regular march by local activists opposing Israeli settlement activities. According to the report, Eygi was critically injured by a gunshot to the head and was rushed to Rafidia Hospital, where medical staff were unable to save her.

Remembering Eygi her School Professor called her an activist who wanted to witness the oppression faced by people of Palestine. Speaking to a global media outlet, she said," "I begged her not to go (to the West Bank), but she had this deep conviction that she wanted to participate in the tradition of bearing witness to the oppression of people and their dignified resilience," Aria Fani, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern languages and cultures at the University of Washington"

Family and Teachers Mourn Eygi's Death

Eygi’s family released a statement describing her as a "fiercely passionate human rights activist" who had dedicated herself to the cause of Palestinian rights. The statement also urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to initiate an independent U.S. investigation into her killing.

Eygi had been involved in activism during her university years, particularly on college campuses where she protested against U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza. "She was driven by her deep sense of justice and empathy," the family said.

Ana Mari Cauce, the President of the University of Washington, expressed her sorrow over Eygi’s death in a statement. “Aysenur was a peer mentor in psychology who helped welcome new students to the department and provided a positive influence in their lives. The news of her passing is awful,” Cauce said.

Israeli Military and U.S. Response

The Israeli military said its troops had fired at a "male instigator" who was throwing rocks at soldiers during the protest. However, the military acknowledged that a female foreign national may have been killed and said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident. There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office.

The White House's National Security Council spokesperson, Sean Savett, expressed Washington’s concern over the incident. “We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen in the West Bank on Friday. We have reached out to the Government of Israel to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident,” Savett said in a statement.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen added that Eygi was the third American citizen to be killed in the West Bank since October 7, following a resurgence of violence sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.