US to act as necessary against Israel's killing of Turkish-US activist
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the end of his one-day visit to Haiti at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port Au Prince on Sept. 5, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would "act as necessary" over Israel's killing of an anti-occupation activist, who is a dual Turkish-American national.

"We deplore this tragic loss," Blinken told reporters on a visit to the Dominican Republic, offering his "deepest condolences" to the family of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who was a part of demonstrations against Israel's illegal occupation in the West Bank.

Asked if the United States would take action against Israel, Blinken said: "First things first – let's find out exactly what happened and we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from that."

"When we have more info, we will share it, make it available and, as necessary, we'll act on it," he said.

"I have no higher priority than the safety and protection of American citizens wherever they are."

The White House also said the U.S. calls for an investigation into the attack.

"We are deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen Aysenur Eygi today in the West Bank, and our hearts go out to, obviously, her families and loved ones," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that Washington reached out to the Israeli government for clarification on the issue.

Palestinian officials said that Eygi was shot in the head by Israeli troops during a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita.

Israel's military said it was investigating and acknowledged that forces opened fire.

Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghals wrote on X that the "Israeli occupation wanted to kill for the sake of killing."

"A war of extermination in Gaza and a war in the West Bank that eats everything green," he wrote. "It does not spare a child or any nationality."

Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, wrote on X that the killing marked "another crime added to the series of crimes committed daily by the occupation forces."

Tensions have escalated throughout the occupied West Bank as Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

Estimates indicate that around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

All Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law.

At least 691 people have been killed and over 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then, according to the Health Ministry.