West Bank: Israeli military shoots dead US-Turkish citizen activist

The activist was hit in the head and died shortly after being taken to a hospital in Nablus, AP reported, citing doctors. The woman was taking part in a protest in the town of Beit, south of Nablus.

The Israeli army said that during the gathering, soldiers opened fire on the “main ringleader” who was “posing a threat” by throwing stones. It added that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

We are aware of the “tragic death of an American citizen” in the West Bank, we express our condolences to the family of the deceased and we are urgently gathering information regarding the circumstances of her death, said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US Department of Sanitation on Friday.

In a statement, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Washington was “deeply concerned by the tragic death of an American citizen.” “We have reached out to the government of Israel to request more information and an investigation into the incident,” he added.

President Turkey Tayyip Erdogan condemned the activist's death, saying in a social media post that Turkey “will continue to work on all platforms to stop Israel's policies of occupation and genocide.”

“We condemn this murder committed by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (…) Israel is trying to intimidate all those who help the Palestinians and peacefully fight against genocide,” the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement, which also accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity.

President USA Joe Biden should know that the missiles it sends to Israel are also killing its own citizens; Israel's criminal war against the Palestinian people must end,” said Mahmoud Alul, head of the regional administration of the Palestinian Authority in Nablus.

Both Miller and Palestinian doctors at the hospital in Nablus gave the name and surname of the deceased, but the pro-Palestinian organization Solidarity International, in which the woman was active, said the family did not wish to disclose the activist's identity.

Weekly protests in Beit have been taking place since 2021, when an illegal Jewish settlement was established there, recently legalized by the Israeli government, the daily “Haaretz” recalled. It added that seven people were killed during these gatherings.

The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians and nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers. Settlements are illegal under international law, and some of them operate without the consent of the Israeli government.

The current Israeli government favors settlement expansion, which the Palestinians do not agree to, considering it an attempt at de facto annexation and an obstacle to building their future independent state.