UN calls for full inquiry after American citizen 'killed by Israeli police' during West Bank protest

7 September 2024, 07:48

The UN has called for a full inquiry after a 26-year-old American activist was shot dead by Israeli police during a protest in the occupied West Bank.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was a Turkish-American citizen, was reportedly taking part in a demonstration against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the town of Beita near Nablus.

According to local reports, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has said it is "looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area".

Footage from the scene shortly after the shooting shows medics rushing Ms Eygi into an ambulance.

Sean Savett, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said Washington was "deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen", while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Ms Eygi’s death as a “tragic loss.”

Witnesses spoke of how two separate shots, "with like a second or two distance between them".

"I heard someone calling my name, saying in English, 'Help us. We need help. We need help.' I ran towards them," he told the BBC.

He added that Ms Eygi was "lying on the ground underneath an olive tree, bleeding to death from her head".

"I put my hand behind her back to try and stop the bleeding," he said.

"I looked up, there was a clear line of sight between the soldiers and where we were. I took her pulse, and it was very, very weak."

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Speaking earlier today, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the White House is "urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death".

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described her death as “barbaric.”

Ms Eygi was reportedly rushed to hospital before being pronounced dead.

In a statement, the IDF said: "Today (Friday), during Israeli security forces activity adjacent to the area of Beita, the forces responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.

"The IDF is looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review."

Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in which 700,000 Jewish residents live, are illegal under international law, UK law and the UN Security Council.