Israel-Hamas War: A 26-year-old Turkish-American woman, Ayşenur Ezgi, died on Friday after being shot in the head by Israeli forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ezgi, a dual citizen, was participating in a protest against the construction of a new Jewish settlement in Beita, near Nablus.
Local media reports indicate that Ezgi was shot by Israeli soldiers during the demonstration. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have stated that they are investigating the reports of a foreign national being killed in the area.
Eygi was reportedly attending her first protest with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian organization.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the incident as “tragic,” while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the Israeli actions as “barbaric.”
Erdoğan expressed his condolences on social media, stating, “I condemn Israel’s barbaric attack on civilian demonstrations against occupation in the West Bank. I pray to God to grant peace to the soul of our country’s citizen Ayşenur Ezgi, who lost her life in this attack.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has asserted that Ezgi was killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in Nablus.
While the White House has not made any accusations, it has called for an investigation into the incident. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned that Washington is urgently seeking more information regarding the circumstances surrounding her death.
Ezgi was born in Antalya, Turkey, and was taken to Rafidia Hospital after being shot, where she was pronounced dead. Hospital chief Dr. Fouad Nafa confirmed that the American citizen had sustained a gunshot wound to the head.
