U.S. activist killed by Israeli army in northern West Bank

A U.S. activist was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian official sources on Friday, reported Xinhua.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, a U.S. activist of Turkish descent, was killed by gunfire, Director of Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus Fouad Naffa said in a press statement.

Eygi arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, and brain tissue was visible, he said, adding that medical teams performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for a few minutes, but she died due to severe injuries.

Palestinian local sources told Xinhua that Eygi was shot during "the Israeli army's suppression of the weekly march" in Beita, which was protesting against settlement expansion.

The sources said that the Israeli army fired live ammunition, sound bombs, and tear gas at the participants. In addition to the U.S. activist, an 18-year-old man was injured by live ammunition fragments in the thigh.

According to sources, Eygi was volunteering with the "Fazaa" campaign, which aims to support and protect Palestinian farmers from the Israeli army and settlers.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday that "during Israeli security forces activity adjacent to the area of Beita, the forces responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them."

"The IDF is looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review," it added.

"We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Egzi Eygi, today in the West Bank, and our hearts go out to her family and loved ones," the White House said in a statement.

"We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask for more information and request an investigation into the incident," the statement said.