Jerusalem

Advertisment

The family of Turkish-American woman Aysenur Ezgi Eygi who was killed during a protest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has now demanded an independent investigation into her death, news agency AFP reported on Saturday (Sep 7).

Eygi, 26, was "shot in the head" while participating in a demonstration in Beita in the West Bank. Palestinian and Turkish officials held the Israeli military responsible for the killing.

'She was peacefully standing for justice'

Advertisment

In a statement, Eygi's family said, "Her presence in our lives was taken needlessly, unlawfully, and violently by the Israeli military."

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

"A US citizen, Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter," the family said.

Advertisment

It called on United States (US) President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of an American citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties.

Earlier, Washington pressed Israel to investigate. However, her family said, "Given the circumstances of Aysenur’s killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate."

Who was Aysenur Ezgi Eygi?

Palestinian officials described the 26-year-old woman as an activist from Seattle who held both US and Turkish citizenship.

Eygi graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle recently, the school's president, Ana Mari Cauce, said in a statement and described news of her death as "awful" while adding that Eygi had a "positive influence" on other students.

The Israeli military said its troops had fired toward a male "main instigator" who posed a threat by hurling rocks at soldiers. "The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review," the military added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.