One year after Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot by Israeli forces, ISM presses for credible, independent investigation
On the first anniversary of Israeli forces’ killing of a Turkish-American activist in the occupied West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement demanded an independent investigation and accountability of her death.
On Sept. 6. 2024, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish-US citizen, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest over illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
She had volunteered with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a network of activists supporting nonviolent Palestinian protests, and joined a Friday prayer demonstration in Beita opposing the hilltop settlement.
“For the past year, Eygi’s family and loved ones have been asking for an independent investigation and accountability for her murder, but the US government has done nothing to bring justice to her and to the people who loved her,” the group said in a statement on Saturday.
“We echo their demand for a credible and independent investigation into her killing and an end to Israel impunity,” the statement added.
Citing a forensic investigation by The Washington Post, the group said the findings confirmed eyewitness accounts from the day, reiterating that Eygi was murdered and the Israeli government is responsible for her death.
The group said Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has risen since Eygi’s killing, citing recent deaths like Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, while the ongoing Gaza conflict has caused mass casualties and severe humanitarian crises, with continued international support enabling Israel’s actions.
Despite video evidence and eyewitness accounts showing that Eygi was targeted by an Israeli sniper, the Israeli military’s preliminary findings claimed she was “highly likely” hit “indirectly and unintentionally” as its forces fired at protesters allegedly throwing rocks.
Her family, friends and eyewitnesses reject Israel’s account, calling her killing a deliberate attack on a peaceful protester and urging the US government to launch an independent investigation.
To date, no one has been held accountable.
