IDF unintentionally killed Turkish American citizen during riot, Israel confirms
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday that Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old activist from Seattle, was killed on Friday during a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"The inquiry found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot," the IDF said in a statement.
"The incident took place during a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tires and hurled rocks toward security forces at the Beita Junction," the IDF added. "Following the incident, an investigation was launched by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division."
"The IDF expresses its deepest regret over the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi," the IDF said.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the killing was "tragic" and "what we saw with this investigation, it seems to show what eyewitnesses and have said and made clear – that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified. No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views.
"In our judgment, the Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement," Blinken said.
"Now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It's not acceptable. It has to change, and we'll be making that clear to the senior most members of the Israeli government," he continued. "Now we're looking carefully at the results of this investigation, but even on an initial read, and even accepting it at face value, it's clear that there are serious issues that need to be dealt with, and we will insist that they be dealt with."
The White House had earlier said it was "deeply disturbed" by the killing of Eygi, who also held Turkish citizenship, and called on Israel to investigate what happened.
Witness Jonathan Pollak told The Associated Press that the shooting occurred about half an hour after clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces had subsided.
Eygi, a volunteer with the activist group International Solidarity Movement, was attending a weekly demonstration against settlement expansion that has been held for years and has often brought Israeli crackdowns and protester stone-throwing, according to the AP.
The Palestinian Authority held a funeral procession for Eygi in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. Turkish authorities said they are working on repatriating her body to Turkey for burial in the Aegean coastal town of Didim, as per her family’s wishes.
Fox News' Nick Kalman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.