Killing of Turkish-American activist by Israel not 'isolated incident', says Israeli activist eyewitness to shooting

By Anadolu Staff

NABLUS, West Bank (AA) – The killing of a Turkish-American activist by the Israeli army in the northern occupied West Bank is not an "isolated incident," as Israeli forces have killed nearly one-and-a-half dozen of rights activists in recent years, said an eyewitness who saw the killing of Aysenur Ezgi earlier on Friday.

A Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the Nablus district of the occupied West Bank.

Jonathan Pollack, an eyewitness to the murder and an Israeli activist who has participated in protests against illegal Israeli settlements, told Anadolu about the events surrounding the killing of 26-year-old Eygi by Israeli soldiers.

He said they were in Beita to protest illegal Israeli settlements in the town, and that people were praying on land surrounded by soldiers in two locations.

"As soon as the prayer ended, clashes between soldiers and village youth broke out. Soldiers immediately fired tear gas and live ammunition," he said, adding that "We retreated down towards the built-up area of the village about 150 or 200 meters away from where the soldiers were."

Pollack said the Israeli soldiers seized a strategic position by taking control of the rooftop of one of the houses.

He added that they stayed at the edge of the village for about half an hour before he heard two separate shots of live ammunition.

These were two separate shots of live ammunition. The first hit a metal object before striking a young man from the village on the thigh.

After the second shot was fired, he said people called his name and asked for assistance.

"I ran backwards into the olive groves and found her lying on the ground underneath an olive tree bleeding to her death."

"The soldier had a clear line of sight to her. She was on her own with two other internationals. I put my hand under her head to try and stop the bleeding, and took her pulse. She had a very weak pulse."

They placed her in the ambulance and transported her to the Beita Medical Center. From there, a physician boarded the ambulance and continued to hospital.

"It's important for me to say that this isn't an isolated incident," Pollack said, adding that since 2021, a total of 17 people have been killed in demonstrations in Beita, all of whom were Palestinians.

"The only reason we are hearing about this now is because this is the tragic death of an American. But this isn't an insulated incident.

"It is part of the Israeli escalation in the West Bank in recent months and it is part of the genocide that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza.”

He vowed that regardless of the message, they will continue to stand with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation.