UPDATE 2 - Türkiye condemns killing of Turkish-American activist by Israeli army in northern West Bank

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM TURKISH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

By Muhammed Enes Calli and Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Friday condemned the killing of a Turkish-American activist by the Israeli army in northern occupied West Bank.

"It is with deep sorrow that we have learned of the killing of our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by occupying Israeli soldiers in Nablus, West Bank," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also extended its condolences to Eygi's family.

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.

"We condemn this murder committed by the Netanyahu government," the statement added.

"Israel is attempting to intimidate those who come to the aid of Palestinians and those engaged in peaceful struggle against genocide. This policy of violence will not succeed," it said.

The ministry added that Israeli authorities and their unconditional supporters will "inevitably" be held accountable before international courts.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli stated that Eygi held both Turkish and American citizenship, had been in Türkiye and had recently been living in the US.

Türkiye's Consulate General in Jerusalem was in contact with local authorities regarding the incident, Keceli said.

He noted that Eygi's family would decide where she would be buried, and if it is decided to bury her in Türkiye, the consular procedures would be handled by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus extended his condolences, saying "It has been 21 years since the killing of Rachel Corrie, but Israeli state terror, emboldened by the world's silence over the years, has now killed Aysenur just as it did Rachel."

"This is the peak of oppression and barbarism. We condemn the oppressors," he added.

Fouad Nafaa, director of the Rafidia Hospital, told Anadolu that Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who held a dual citizenship of both Türkiye and the US, arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.

Eygi, who was born in the Turkish city of Antalya in 1998, succumbed to her injuries despite attempts by medical teams to revive her, according to Nafaa.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers opened live fire on a group of Palestinians participating in a demonstration condemning the illegal settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, south of Nablus.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa confirmed that the victim was an American citizen and a volunteer with the Fazaa campaign, an initiative aimed at supporting and protecting Palestinian farmers from the ongoing violations by illegal Israeli settlers and army.

Residents of Beita hold weekly protests after Friday prayers to oppose the illegal Israeli settlement of Avitar, which is established on the peak of Mount Sbeih. The community demands the removal of the illegal settlement, which they view as a violation of their land rights.

Tensions have escalated throughout the occupied West Bank as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 691 people have been killed and over 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then, according to the Health Ministry.