A 26-year-old American activist was fatally shot during a pro-Palestinian protest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, U.S. State Department officials have confirmed.
Palestinian doctor Dr. Ward Basalat had told the Associated Press that the woman, Aysenur Eygi, was shot in the head and died after arriving at the hospital.
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew confirmed Eygi's death to CNN, and said that the embassy was "urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death."
Eygi was reportedly shot during a weekly demonstration against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beita.
Israeli's military confirmed troops opened fire on a protest "instigator," and that officials are "looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area," CBS News reported.
Israel Defense Forces said troops "responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them."
The "details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review," said an IDF statement.
Jonathan Pollak of the Defend Palestine activist group, told CBS News that IDF forces fired two shots from a distance of 150 or 200 yards during the protest that included Eygi.
He said one bullet hit a local boy in the thigh and the second hit the U.S. demonstrator, who was standing under an olive tree.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday: "We deplore this tragic loss."
He added that as U.S. officials learn more about the fatal shooting, "we will share it, make it available and, as necessary, we'll act on it."
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement: "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."
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The State Department says it is aware that Aysenur Eygi, a US Citizen, was shot and killed in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian authorities in the West Bank say she was killed by Israeli forces. The IDF has not commented on this yet.
Eygi was said to have been… pic.twitter.com/L2fqjBhSN0
Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a statement Friday condemning "this murder committed by the Netanyahu Government."
Israel is "trying to intimidate anyone who comes to the aid of Palestinians and fights peacefully against genocide," the statement added.
"This policy of violence will not yield results. Israeli authorities who commit crimes against humanity and those who unconditionally support them will definitely be held accountable before international courts."
