Published 10 September 2024 at 14.02
Foreign. An Israeli sniper shot American peace activist Aysenur Eygi, 26, in the head as she participated in a demonstration against Israeli settlements, Al Jazeera reports. The incident is the latest in which Israel's defense forces have attacked Americans after the United States tightened its stance against the country and parts of its military.
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– It was an intentional shooting that cannot be justified, said Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist who was present when Eygi was hit by the bullet, in a statement to the media.
Others present give a similar picture of the soldier's actions.
– He appeared after killing her. He shot her for fun, says an eyewitness to TRT World.
Born in Turkey but living in Seattle, USA, Eygi had recently graduated from the University of Washington when she participated in the protests with other international activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
The protests in Beita were a part of the weekly demonstrations held against Evyatar, a settlement established on the village's land in 2020. Although Evyatar was formally evacuated in 2021, the site has become a symbol of the Israeli settler movement and continues to be a source of conflict.
Eygi was hit by a sniper who fired two shots at the protesters who had gathered on the outskirts of the village.
According to Pollak, the protesters were between 150 and 200 meters from the Israeli troops and the situation was relatively calm when the shots were fired.
The first shot hit a piece of metal and injured another protester, while the second shot hit Eygi in the head. Despite attempts to save her life, she later died in hospital.
Meanwhile, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl, Bana Amjad Baker, was also killed in a separate incident in the village of Qaryut near Nablus.
According to witnesses, the girl was shot in her home by Israeli soldiers during clashes that followed an attack by settlers.
Incidents like these have led to increased tensions in the region and prompted human rights organizations to demand an international investigation into the actions of the Israeli military.
The Israeli military claimed that its forces responded with fire against a person it described as a main actor in “violent activities”. They said the person posed a threat to the soldiers, but after Eygi's death, the international community has expressed concern over the incident.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far said the US government “regrets” the shooting, but emphasized that the facts of the incident still need to be clarified.
Violence by Israeli soldiers against American citizens has increased after the United States tightened its tone against Israel and threatened sanctions against parts of its defense forces in the West Bank, specifically the IDF unit Netzah Yehuda who, according to the US, committed systematic abuses against civilians in the area.
Several attacks against American activists have been reported and Eygi is the second American citizen killed by Israeli forces this year.
Human rights organizations , including ISM, continue to criticize Israel's actions and call for Israel to be held accountable internationally for the killing of civilian protesters.