Family of Eygi, Turkish American activist killed in West Bank, to meet with Blinken

The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist killed by Israeli forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday to demand an independent investigation into her death.

The meeting, confirmed by a family spokesperson to Anadolu Agency, is part of a broader effort by Eygi’s family to press the Biden administration for accountability.

Her father Mehmet Suat Eygi, sister Ozden Bennett, and husband Hamid Ali will also meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and hold a press conference to amplify their calls for justice.

Eygi, 26, was fatally shot on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

While Israeli authorities concluded in a preliminary investigation that Eygi was “highly likely” hit “indirectly and unintentionally” by fire targeting a protestor allegedly throwing rocks, video evidence and witness accounts dispute this narrative.

Eygi was reportedly shot more than 30 minutes after the peak of confrontations had subsided and over 200 yards from Israeli forces, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The family has criticized the Biden administration’s response, particularly the lack of direct outreach from President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, or Secretary Blinken, and the failure to initiate an independent investigation.

“Accountability has been elusive, and our expectations for transparent action remain unmet,” the family said in a statement, urging the administration to go beyond its earlier call for Israel to conduct a “swift, thorough, and transparent investigation.” Three months after her killing, no further updates have been provided by Israeli authorities.

When asked about the matter last month, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated the U.S. stance, saying, “We continue to press the Government of Israel to conduct its investigation and to brief us on the results.”

Miller added that the U.S. would assess potential actions after the conclusion of the Israeli probe but provided no timeline for such steps.

Eygi’s killing has drawn attention to the broader tensions in the region, as well as to the U.S. government’s approach to incidents involving its citizens. Eygi’s body was repatriated to Türkiye and laid to rest in Didim, a town in western Türkiye.

Turkish prosecutors launched their own investigation into the killing on Sept. 11, further underscoring the international dimensions of the case.