Washington Post reveals new details about Turkish-American activist’s death in West Bank

The American publication Washington Post reported that Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot after clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank had calmed down, and protesters had retreated.

The report, based on interviews with 13 eyewitnesses, residents of Beita and foreign activists, along with the analysis of over 50 videos and photographs provided by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Faz3a civil society organization, contradicts the Israeli military’s account that Eygi was “unintentionally shot during a violent confrontation.”

The findings indicate that Eygi was shot approximately 20 minutes after the clashes subsided, and the protesters had moved more than 200 meters away from the security forces.

On the day of Eygi’s death, Israeli soldiers deployed tear gas and live ammunition against Palestinian demonstrators. Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist with Faz3a, described the scene as “relatively calm” once the protesters had retreated.

Pollak noted that there was a distance of over 200 meters between the soldiers and the protesters, with Eygi standing an additional 30 meters farther back. He witnessed one soldier aim and heard two gunshots.

Helen, an Australian volunteer in her early 60s who was with Eygi throughout the day, recounted seeing Eygi collapse face-first after the shots were fired.

The Israeli military did not respond to WP’s inquiries as to why soldiers opened fire long after the protesters had withdrawn and posed no visible threat.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American, was shot in the head by an Israeli sniper during a demonstration in the town of Beita, near Nablus, on Sept. 6.

The Israeli army later stated that Eygi may have been “accidentally killed” by soldiers, claiming that the soldier who shot her had been aiming at a different protester.