Witness to activist’s killing says getting justice crucial for all killed by Israel
Australian Helen Maria O'Sullivan, who witnessed Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi's killing by Israel, speaks at a news conference in Ankara, Türkiye, Oct. 31, 2024. (AA Photo)


Assuring justice for Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and all those killed by Israel is crucial, according to one of the witnesses to the killing of the Turkish American activist in the occupied West Bank in early September.

Australian citizen Helen Maria O'Sullivan testified as a witness in Ankara as part of the investigation into Eygi's death by Israel.

It is important to ensure justice not only for Eygi but for all the people killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, O'Sullivan told Anadolu Agency (AA).

She added that the investigation is a small part of the journey in the pursuit of justice.

In her commitment to Eygi, she said she would speak openly without hesitation.

The witness said that she was silent for six weeks while in Palestine and she gave her statement but requested that her name be kept confidential.

Now that she is outside the West Bank, O'Sullivan is determined not to remain anonymous.

Talking to the prosecutor was one of the opportunities to openly discuss what happened on Sept. 6, when Eygi was killed by an Israeli sniper, she added.

Volunteer activists took on recounted witnesses in the West Bank, and she provided testimony to the prosecutor about this.

She noted that they protected schoolchildren from attacks by Israeli settlers and stood alongside Palestinians in the olive groves.

Emphasizing that they were there to prevent and report attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, O'Sullivan highlighted their efforts to reflect the truth to the world.

O'Sullivan expressed their intention to ensure that the international community says ‘Enough is enough' on the deaths of children.

Eygi, 26, was killed by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

She was a human rights activist and a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, which supports Palestinians using peaceful and civil methods against Israel's occupation.

A preliminary investigation by Israel found that Eygi was "highly likely" hit "indirectly and unintentionally" by Israeli fire that was targeting a "main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks" during the protest.

Video evidence and witness accounts, however, have contradicted Israel's version of events, with many saying she was directly hit by an Israeli sniper.

A report by The Washington Post also revealed that Eygi was shot more than 30 minutes after the peak of confrontations in Beita and about 20 minutes after protesters had moved over 200 yards (180 meters) down the main road, away from Israeli forces.

Turkish authorities are also investigating Eygi's killing. A post-mortem examination of Eygi in Ankara also said she was killed by a long-distance shot.

Four eyewitnesses, who were activists of Eygi, gave testimonies during the investigation carried out by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in the capital of Ankara over the weekend.

The witnesses testified to spotting Israeli snipers positioned on the roofs surrounding the protest and seeing Eygi fall down as she was shot, with at least two of them expressing firm opinion that she was deliberately targeted by Israeli troops.

Eygi's family says she was killed in a targeted attack and is calling on the U.S. government to launch an independent investigation into her killing.

Ankara said it would safeguard Eygi’s rights and deliver a report and evidence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which would also be presented to the ongoing trial of Israeli perpetrators of crimes in Gaza at the International Criminal Court (ICC).