On Friday, September 6, Israeli soldiers shot and killed Aysenur Ezgi Eygi while she was protesting against Israeli occupation in the West Bank.
Eygi was a recent University of Washington graduate and Seattle resident. She was not Palestinian but felt compelled to travel to the region with the International Solidarity Movement to show her support after hearing the endless news cycle of civilian death, hunger, and disease. She was only 26.
Video shows that Eygi was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers at a planned weekly protest held by Palestinians and international activists.
Protesters had allegedly clashed with the soldiers, who used tear gas on them earlier in the afternoon, but at the time of Eygi's killing, a witness reported "a moment of calm." Another witness, Israeli citizen Jonathan Pollak, reported that the shooting occurred after Palestinians and the international activists held a group prayer. She was found lying under an olive tree and rushed to a hospital, where she later succumbed to her wounds.
Eygi held dual citizenship in the United States and Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a statement following news of her death, saying, "I condemn Israel's barbaric intervention against peaceful anti-occupation protest in West Bank and ask Allah's mercy upon our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who lost her life in the attack." Another statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry called for the Israeli government to be held responsible before international courts and those responsible for Eygi's murder "brought to justice."
Eygi was not the only casualty in the region on Friday. Palestinian health officials also reported Bana Laboom, a 13-year-old girl, was shot and killed in her village in the West Bank.
Investigations
The White House released an official statement following news of Eygi's death, requesting an investigation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the killing as "unprovoked and unjustified." He called for the IDF to make "fundamental changes to the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement."
"It's not acceptable," said Blinken. "It has to change. And we will be making that clear to the seniormost members of the Israeli government."
An Israeli Defense Forces probe found that "indirect and unintended IDF fire" was aimed toward a "main instigator" who had thrown rocks at them and "posed a threat," adding that it "expresses its deepest regret over the death." The Military Police has also launched an investigation into the killing.
Eygi's family said an Israeli investigation into her murder would not be sufficient and have requested the Biden administration hold an independent investigation. "We welcome the White House's statement of condolences, but given the circumstances of Aysenur's killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate," they said in a statement. "We call on President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of State Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a US citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties."
Local reaction
Friends, family, teachers, and acquaintances who only briefly encountered Eygi had kind words to say about a remarkable young woman, remembering her as a kind-hearted soul brimming with empathy.
"Aysenur was a peer mentor in psychology who helped welcome new students to the department and provided a positive influence in their lives," University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce said in a statement. "I again join with our government and so many who are working and calling for a ceasefire and resolution to the crisis," she added.
"She was gentle, brave, silly, supportive, and a ray of sunshine," Eygi's family said. "She wore her heart on her sleeves. She felt a deep responsibility to serve others and lived a life of caring for those in need with action. She was a fiercely passionate human rights activist her whole life a steadfast and staunch advocate of justice."
On Saturday, the Seattle organization Shut It Down for Palestine held a march to call for justice for Eygi and commemorate nearly one year of war. "Today is the 11-month anniversary of the genocide, but it's not just that," organizer Taylor Young said. "We also saw a beloved community member assassinated in cold blood by Israeli forces with US diplomacy as a backing, as well as US arms to make it possible. We're here to demand an end to the genocide. A ceasefire is the bare minimum. We want an end to the occupation, release [of] all the Palestinian prisoners, justice for Aysenur, and [a] free Palestine."
Shut It Down for Palestine is planning to hold a march on October 5. "We want to make this big and loud and show that the movement has continued strongly for over a year and that we're not backing down," Young said. "The tide is rolling for a free Palestine in our lifetimes, and we're not going to stop until we see that."
Members of the LGBTQ+ community also turned out at Saturday's march to call for a ceasefire. One protester, Mikus, who asked not to share their last name, attended the event in a shirt that read, "Queer as in Free Palestine."
When asked what that meant, Mikus explained, "Israel has tried to pinkwash by using the LGBTQIA community to justify [its] attacks against Palestinians. My liberation as a Queer individual is not to be above anybody else's liberation who is suffering at the hands of occupation and apartheid."
Many of the protesters who showed up at Saturday's event were not Palestinian-American but felt great empathy for the suffering of Palestinians. "I am here today in support of the Palestinian people, those that have been facing 76 years of brutal ethnic cleansing, occupation of the Zionist entity known as the Israeli state," Mikus said. "I am here in solidarity and in grief over our nearly 200,000 Palestinians who have been lost [since 1948], in the genocide in Gaza, and those attacked in the West Bank. I am here in solidarity for the lives of Americans lost in standing up for Palestinian lives, for Aysenur, who was killed brutally after being in the West Bank for three days protesting peacefully and killed by Israeli occupation forces. We are not free until we're all free."
According to NPR, 40,000 Palestinians (both civilians and Hamas combatants) have died during the Israeli retaliation for the Hamas-led terror attack on Israel last October 7, in which 1,200 people were killed (including 364 at a music festival) and 251 taken hostage (about 63 are said to remain alive), amid acts of brutality, including sexual assault. As of April 30, the UN reported that 254 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since the war broke out.
Support the Seattle Gay News: Celebrate 50 Years with Us!
As the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ newspaper in the United States, the Seattle Gay News (SGN) has been a vital independent source of news and entertainment for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 1974.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we need your support to continue our mission.
Your contribution will ensure that SGN remains a beacon of truth and a virtual gathering place for community dialogue.
Help us keep printing and providing a platform for LGBTQIA+ voices.
How you can donate!
Using this Link
Text "SGN" to 53-555
Or Scan the QR code below!