UN calls for full probe into killing of Turkish-American woman at West Bank protest

The United Nations on Saturday (Sept 7) called for a full investigation into the killing of a 26-year-old Turkish-American woman during a protest at the West Bank.

The Israeli military has been accused by Palestinian and Turkish officials of killing the woman, identified as Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.

The military said its troops had fired toward a male "main instigator" who posed a threat by hurling rocks at soldiers.

"The details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review," the military added.

There was no immediate comment on the incident from Netanyahu's office.

Who was Aysenur Ezgi Eygi?

Citing Palestinian and Turkish officials, a report by the news agency Reuters said Eygi had been taking part in a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday.

Palestinian officials described her as an activist from Seattle who held both US and Turkish citizenship.

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Eygi graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle recently, the school's president, Ana Mari Cauce, said in a statement and described news of her death as "awful" while adding that Eygi had a "positive influence" on other students.

The incident occurred during a regular protest march by activists in Beita, a village near Nablus that has seen repeated attacks on Palestinians by Jewish settlers.

'Woman was shot in the head'

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Eygi was shot in the head. The ministry held the Israeli government responsible for her death.

The White House said it was deeply disturbed by the death of Eygi and called on Israel to investigate.

Speaking to Reuters, Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, said that the 26-year-old woman arrived there in critical condition, with a serious head injury.

"We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but unfortunately she died," Nafaa added.