Biden claims Israeli bullet killed Turkish-American activist ‘ricocheted off the ground’

US President Joe Biden commented Tuesday that the death of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, killed during a protest in the West Bank, appeared to be accidental.

“Apparently it was an accident — it ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident,” Biden told reporters, referencing the Sept. 6 shooting, in which Eygi, 26, was fatally shot by an Israeli sniper during a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus.

Biden’s remarks come as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier described the incident as “unprovoked and unjustified,” highlighting the ongoing tension between U.S. support for Israel and concerns over civilian casualties.

Eygi’s death has sparked protests in the U.S. and abroad, as activists demand accountability for what they see as a growing pattern of violence against civilians in the occupied territories. Eygi had traveled to the West Bank as part of her activism, working with international movements that oppose the Israeli settlement expansions.

The contrast between Biden’s characterization of the event as accidental and Blinken’s sharper criticism has drawn attention from commentators and human rights groups, who are calling for a more thorough investigation into the circumstances of Eygi’s death.