American activist fatally shot in head in the West Bank: Officials

ByNadine El-Bawab and Latifeh Abdellatif ABCNews logo
Friday, September 6, 2024
American activist fatally shot in head in the West Bank: Officials
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi -- a dual American and Turkish citizen -- died at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, in the West Bank, according to the hospital director.

A 26-year-old American woman was killed after being shot in the head in the West Bank, according to a hospital.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi -- a dual American and Turkish citizen -- died at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, in the West Bank, according to the hospital director.

Eygi was a "foreign solidarity" activist, one of a number of Americans and other foreigners, who work to protect Palestinian farmers in the West Bank from attacks by Israeli settlers.

The hospital director said medical teams provided CPR after she was shot, but she was later pronounced dead.

Medics transport the body of a US citizen after she succumbed to her wound from a reported gunshot, at a hospital in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on September 6, 2024.
Medics transport the body of a US citizen after she succumbed to her wound from a reported gunshot, at a hospital in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on September 6, 2024.
Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images

In July, shocking video showed a group of activists attacked by settlers near Qusra, in the West Bank, while trying to protect Palestinian farmers harvesting olives.

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the "tragic death" of Eygi in the West Bank.

"We offer our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as we learn more. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," said Matt Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department.

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement on activity in the area where Eygi was killed and said the "incident" is under review.

"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," the IDF said in a statement to ABC News.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Eygi's killing in a statement.

"We condemn this murder committed by the Netanyahu Government. Israel is trying to intimidate all those who come to the aid of the Palestinian people and who fight peacefully against the genocide," the ministry said in a statement.

"This policy of violence will not work," the ministry continued. "The Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will be held accountable before international courts."

ABC News' Dana Savir, Victoria Beaulé, Shannon K. Kingston and Kerem Inal contributed to this report.

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