Two years on, Eygi family awaits justice for West Bank killing

The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi marked two years since Israeli forces shot dead the 26-year-old dual Turkish-US citizen in the occupied West Bank, saying there has been virtually no movement toward accountability despite repeated calls for an independent Washington inquiry into the killing.

Israeli account disputed

Eygi was killed on Sept. 6, 2024, while protesting Israeli settlement expansion in Beita. The Israeli military claimed she was hit "indirectly and unintentionally," but a Washington Post investigation found she was shot 20 minutes after clashes ended, when protesters had retreated. "It's exactly where it was on day one," Hamid Ali told Anadolu, adding that the family still seeks an investigation as a first step toward justice.

'No hope for justice'

"I don't have much hope for justice because America is the financier of Aysenur's killing," her father Mehmet Suat Eygi told Anadolu. Eygi is among 14 US citizens killed by Israeli forces since 2003 with no prosecutions, according to rights groups. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the killing "unprovoked," yet Washington defers to an Israeli inquiry with no public findings.

Ankara opens investigation

The Foreign Ministry of Türkiye has called the killing a "murder committed by the Netanyahu government," and prosecutors in Türkiye opened their own investigation. The family has pursued a memorial through the Washington State Legislature, though it failed to pass this year, and is preparing for a longer fight. "We've been developing a long-term strategy for Aysenur's legacy," Ali said.