Israel kills Turkish-American woman activist in West Bank

A 26-year-old Turkish-American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot dead by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, south of Nablus.

Eygi was participating in a protest against illegal Israeli settlement expansion when she was fatally wounded.

According to an activist who was with her, Eygi was standing still and doing nothing when she was shot from a distance.

"It was a deliberate shot because they shot from a very, very, very far distance,” he added.

The Israeli army confirmed the incident, claiming that Eygi was a "main instigator of violent activity" who posed a threat to the forces. 

However, the Turkish foreign ministry strongly condemned her death as a "murder committed by the Netanyahu government".

Eygi's killing occurred amid a major Israeli operation in the West Bank, launched on August 28, which has resulted in at least 39 Palestinian deaths.

She was an active member of a campaign to protect farmers from Israeli settler violence, which has increased since October 7, 2023.

Eygi is the third member of the International Solidarity Movement to be killed by Israel, following Rachel Corrie in 2003 and Tom Hurndall in 2004. 

Israel's military offensives in Gaza since Oct 7 have resulted in devastating losses, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed, including 16,456 children and 11,000 women.