# Killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi (26) was a Turkish-American activist who was taking part in a weekly protest against the expansion of Israeli settlements in Beita, Nablus in the West Bank on 6 September 2024, when she was reportedly shot to death by a soldier(s) (potentially a sniper) of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Immediately following her death, the Executive Office of the President of the United States condemned the incident and requested an investigation into the IDF. Ezgi Eygi's murder was announced only a few hours after Israel announced that they were pulling their military out of Jenin after launching a large-scale operation into the northern parts of West Bank.

## Incident

On 6 September 2024, a crowd of protesters were gathered in the West Bank village of Beita. It was part of a weekly demonstration held by the International Solidarity Movement in protest of Israeli settler (in this case, the neighboring Israeli settlement of Evyatar) expansion into Palestinian villages. Shortly after a communal prayer was held, a group of IDF soldiers surrounded the protesters. Clashes immediately began, with some protesters throwing stones at the soldiers, while the soldiers deployed tear gas. Shortly after deploying the tear gas, the soldiers began shooting at the protesters, immediately causing them to retreat. According to fellow protesters Jonathan Pollak and Mariman Dag, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi ran with the group to safety. As she ran, more gunshots could be heard, after which, Pollak reported seeing Ezgi Eygi "-lying on the ground, beside the [olive] tree, bleeding from her head,". Eygi was treated by doctors and was taken to a hospital where she later died. Dag reported seeing an IDF sniper on a nearby rooftop, and that the gunshots were "only coming from" the group of IDF soldiers.

## Reactions
### Domestic

According to the Associated Press; "The Israeli military said it was looking into reports that troops had killed a foreign national while firing at an “instigator of violent activity” in the area of the protest."

### International

* United States: The Executive Office of the President of the United States ordered an investigation into Ezgi Eygi's death. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett stated "We are deeply disturbed by the death of an American citizen, Aysenur Egzi Eygi, today in the West Bank and our hearts go out to her family and loved ones - We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident".
* Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the slaying of Ezgi Eygi, calling it the "barbaric intervention against a civilian protest against the occupation in the West Bank".
* Qatar: The Qatar Foreign Ministry put out a statement condemning Ezgi Eygi's death: "The heinous crime is part of a series of ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian cause and human rights. The silence of the international community regarding these violations is an incentive for the occupation to commit more atrocities".
* Jordan: The Foreign Ministry of Jordan condemned Ezgi Eygi's death and asked for the perpetrators to be held responsible.