Erdoğan condemns Israel over killing of Turkish citizen in West Bank

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned Israel for the killing of an American-Turkish dual national in the West Bank, calling it a “barbaric” act, Agence France-Presse reported.

Erdoğan on Friday condemned what he called “Israel’s barbaric intervention” following the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US-Turkish dual national, during a demonstration in the West Bank.

“I condemn Israel’s barbaric intervention against a demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank and I pray for God’s mercy for our citizen Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who lost her life in the attack,” Erdoğan wrote on X.

Eygi, 26, was reportedly shot in the head while taking part in a demonstration against Israeli settlements in Beita, according to the United Nations rights office. The Israeli military said its forces fired at a protester who posed a threat, but Eygi’s family and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), of which she was a member, have rejected this claim. ISM described the protest as peaceful and said Eygi was standing more than 200 meters away from Israeli forces at the time she was shot.

Eygi’s family has called for an independent investigation into her death, urging US officials, including President Joe Biden, to ensure accountability for what they called the “unlawful killing” of a US citizen. “Aysenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet from an Israeli military shooter,” her family said in a statement.

The incident has further escalated tensions in the West Bank, where pro-Palestinian activists regularly protest against Israeli settlements. The United States, which has called Eygi’s death a “tragic” event, has urged Israel to investigate the killing. However, Eygi’s family insists that an Israeli-led investigation is insufficient, calling for an independent probe.

Israeli forces have faced growing criticism for their actions in the West Bank, particularly since the outbreak of war in Gaza following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 662 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the conflict. Israel has also reported 23 Israeli fatalities in Palestinian attacks during the same period.

The Gaza Strip is suffering a humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas that has been going on since October 7, with the United Nations and aid agencies warning of impending famine.

On October 7 Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel that resulted in the death of roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and some 250 people taken hostage.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 40,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has devastated the Gaza Strip.

Turkey is one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s war on Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of committing “war crimes” and “genocide” in the enclave. In early May Turkey’s Trade Ministry announced that it was suspending all trade with Israel until it allows aid to enter Gaza unhindered during its offensive against Hamas militants.

Eygi’s death, along with that of a 12-year-old Palestinian girl killed in a separate incident near Beita, has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian officials. “Bullets do not differentiate between activists and a Palestinian child,” Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas said, calling for an end to violence in the region.