Activist from the US shot dead by Israeli army during protest in occupied West Bank

An American woman has been shot in the West Bank by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) after attending a protest against settlement expansion, according to local media.

The government-run Palestine News Agency said that the woman, an American of Turkish descent identified as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the town of Beita, located south of Nablus.

An 18-year-old Palestinian was also injured in the protest, which turned violent after protesters clashed with the IDF.

The IDF have reacted on X, saying that forces “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.”

They added that they were looking into reports that a foreign national had been killed.

The activist was reportedly put into intensive care at the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus before succumbing to her injuries, according to the Wafa News Agency, citing medical sources.

Local Palestinian media said the woman was involved in a campaign working to protect Palestinian farmers from the Israeli military.

Turkish media said that Ezgi Eygi was born in Antalya and held American citizenship.

The incident comes as the IDF withdrew from the city of Jenin after one of their largest operations in the occupied West Bank since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.

The nine-day operation killed at least 36 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, and caused large-scale damage to Jenin.

IDF officials said the operation, which began on 28 August, is necessary to curb recent attacks against Israeli civilians in the area.