Washington DC, United States

The United States on Monday (Sep 16) expressed its dissatisfaction with Israel's initial findings regarding the killing of US-Turkish citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi.

Advertisment

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said that Israel's initial findings in the investigation into Eygi's death do not exonerate Israeli security forces. 

Who killed Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi?

Israel, as per news agency Reuters, has admitted that its troops shot 26-year-old Eygi during a protest in the West Bank, claiming the incident was accidental and occurred amid violence during the demonstration.

Advertisment

She was shot while taking part in a demonstration on September 6 in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, near Nablus. 

The Israeli military, in its initial probe, stated that Eygi was not the intended target, but rather another protester they described as "the key instigator of the riot.".

Also read | UN calls for full probe into killing of Turkish-American woman at West Bank protest

Advertisment

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Eygi's death "unprovoked and unjustified," pressing for an overhaul in the Israeli military's conduct in the West Bank. 

Eygi, a human rights activist and volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement, which calls for resisting the oppression of Palestinians using non-violent methods, was shot in the head. According to state-run TRT television stated that initial findings revealed Eygi's death was caused by a bullet, which resulted in a skull fracture, brain haemorrhage, and damage to brain tissue.  

US waiting for probe results

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Miller said that Eygi's killing never should have happened.

"I hear people ... hold the initial findings up as if they somehow exonerated Israeli security forces. They very much do not, at least in our point of view," he said.

Also read | IDF regrets ‘unintentional death’ of US-Turkish protester in West Bank

Miller said that the US was waiting for probe results, which the country expects to be prompt. He also said that if results are not satisfactory, America will take its own action, but did not specify what it would be.

"If the first investigation plays out…and we are not satisfied, we will, of course, look at whether any other measures are appropriate," said Miller.

(With inputs from agencies)