Aysenur Ezgi Ezgi, another Turkish national, was taking part in a demonstration against the expansion of Jewish communities in Beita, a town near Nablus.
Reports in the local media claim that the 26-year-old was shot by Israeli forces.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said, “We want to see a thorough investigation of the circumstances and hold those involved accountable.” Citizens, in his words, “must be protected at all times.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement in which they said they were “investigating reports of a foreign national’s death as a result of gunfire in the area.”
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savet said in a statement that the US was “deeply saddened” by the “tragic death” and said it has contacted the Israeli government to demand an investigation into the incident.
Soon after the news broke, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condoled the “tragic loss”. “When we have more information, we will share it, make it available, and take action as needed,” he said.
Earlier, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who confirmed Ezgi Ezgi’s identity, said Washington was “urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death and will have more to say as more information becomes available.”
Miller also offered his “deepest condolences” to the family and loved ones.
For his part, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said that for Washington “there is no higher priority than the safety of American citizens.”
Egy’s family has demanded an independent, US-led investigation into his death, saying an Israeli-led probe would be inadequate.
His relatives said they were shocked and mourning the loss of a loved and “very passionate human rights activist.”
Turkish media reported that Egy Egy was born in Antalya.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry described his death as a “murder”, and said that Egy Egy was “killed by Israeli occupation troops in the city of Nablus.”
The activist was taken to a hospital in Nablus with a gunshot wound to the head and later died, the AFP news agency reported.
Dr. Fouad Naffa, director of the hospital where Egy Egy was admitted, confirmed that the 20-year-old US citizen died of a “gunshot wound to the head.”
At the same demonstration, Israeli activist Jonathan Pollack reported to the BBC that he seen “soldiers on the roof shooting bullets”.
“One or two seconds apart” was how he described hearing two gunshots.
“I heard someone scream out to me and say, ‘Help us,’ in English. We require assistance. We require assistance. I sprinted in their direction.”
He observed Ezzi “lying on the ground under a tree, bleeding from the head”.
“I put my hands behind my back to stop the bleeding”.
Pollack commented on the Israeli Defense personnel’ (IDF) statement, stating that while there had been altercations, he believed that soldiers were “not in any danger” and that security personnel had responded to stone throwing.
According to him, there was “no stone throwing” at Ezzi’s location.
