A Turkish-American woman was fatally shot by Israeli forces during a protest against settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The woman, identified as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, died from a gunshot wound to the head after participating in the protest near Nablus on Friday.
Eygi, a U.S. national with Turkish heritage, was involved in a regular demonstration in the town of Beita, a hotspot for tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
WAFA reports that Israeli troops opened fire on protesters, critically wounding Eygi, who was later pronounced dead at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its deep regret over the incident, confirming Eygi’s death in a statement: “We have learned with deep regret that our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi has been killed by the Israeli occupation forces.”
The U.S. State Department also confirmed her death and said it was gathering more information about the circumstances.
“We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who called her death “tragic.”
The Israeli military also stated that it was investigating the incident