A Turkish-American woman was shot dead Friday while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita, where the army acknowledged opening fire, reports AFP.
Turkey identified the woman as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, condemning her death, while the United States called it a "tragic" event and called on its ally Israel to carry out an investigation.
While Washington stopped short from blaming anyone, the UN rights office directly accused Israeli forces of killing Eygi, saying Israeli security forces "shot in the head and killed" her.
The incident occurred as Israeli forces withdrew from a deadly 10-day raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, another flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, amid the ongoing Gaza war.
The raid, part of broader Israeli military operations, has drawn international criticism, with Israeli ally Germany warning against escalating military actions in the West Bank.
The UN said Eygi, 26, was participating in a "peaceful anti-settlement protest" in Beita, scene of weekly demonstrations. Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- where some 490,000 people live -- are illegal under international law.
She arrived at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus "with a gunshot in the head" and was later pronounced dead, said hospital director Fouad Nafaa.
Turkey said she was killed by "Israeli occupation soldiers". President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Israeli action as "barbaric".
"We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre aboard Air Force One travelling with President Joe Biden.
"We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident," she added.
The Israeli army said it was looking into her death.
Eygi was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a pro-Palestinian organisation, and was in Beita for a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlements, said Neta Golan, the group's co-founder.
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