US demands Israeli military reforms after American protester's murder

Israeli forces shot Eygi during a protest march in Beita, near Nablus where Jewish settlers attack Palestinians

The US government has called for significant changes in Israeli military conduct in the West Bank following the fatal shooting of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old US and Turkish citizen.

Eygi was shot during a protest march in Beita, near Nablus, where Palestinians have faced repeated attacks by far-right Jewish settlers.

The Israeli military expressed deep regret over the incident, stating that the gunfire was not aimed at Eygi, but rather at another individual they referred to as "the key instigator of the riot."

However, US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, strongly condemned the killing, describing it as "unprovoked and unjustified."

Eygi's family has rejected the Israeli military's explanation, demanding an independent US investigation and accountability for her death.

Blinken and Austin have called on Israel to revise its rules of engagement in the West Bank, with Blinken highlighting the risk to civilians exercising their right to protest.

This marks the second time an American citizen has been killed by Israeli security forces, further straining relations between the US and its close Middle East ally.

'Biden hasn't contacted us,' family of girl murdered by Israel

The family of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American and Turkish national shot dead at a protest in Beita near Nablus, expressed frustration over the lack of contact from the White House.

Despite US President Joe Biden acknowledging the incident as an accident, Eygi’s family and her partner, Hamid Ali, rejected the explanation, calling for an independent investigation into her death.

Eygi, an activist with the International Solidarity Movement, was killed during a demonstration against Israeli settler expansion.

While Israel’s military expressed regret, stating that the shot was not aimed at her, U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, strongly condemned the incident, calling for reforms in Israeli military operations in the West Bank.

The Israeli military's inquiry continues, as tensions rise over ongoing settler violence and the legal status of West Bank outposts.

The Israeli military has launched a criminal investigation into the shooting, with the White House monitoring the proceedings closely.