IDF unintentionally killed Turkish-American citizen during riot, Israel confirms
Fox News
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed 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 also said.
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.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News’ Nick Kalman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.