The Washington Post has refuted the Israeli military’s account of the killing of Turkish-American activist Ayse Nur Azgi Egi, in which it claimed that she was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by its soldiers at the height of the clashes in the town of Beita, south of the Nablus Governorate in the West Bank.
The American newspaper said that an investigation it conducted revealed that Aisha was shot more than half an hour after the peak of the confrontations in Beita, and about 20 minutes after the demonstrators moved onto the main road more than 200 yards from the Israeli forces.
Eyewitnesses confirmed to the newspaper that a Palestinian teenager was also shot by Israeli gunfire, although he was standing about 20 yards away from Igi, but the Israeli army did not say whether the injured man was a target.
The Israeli army confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it was “very likely” that Aisha had been “indirectly and unintentionally injured” by the occupation army’s fire “which was not directed at her but rather at the main instigator of the riot” during an anti-settlement demonstration near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
The occupation army refused to answer questions from the Washington Post about why its soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators long after they had withdrawn, and from a distance where they posed no clear threat.
To accurately reconstruct the events of that day, the newspaper spoke to 13 eyewitnesses and residents of Beita, and reviewed more than 50 videos and photos provided exclusively by the International Solidarity Movement, the organization for which Igi volunteered, and Faz3a, an organization that defends Palestinian rights.
According to the Washington Post investigation, some foreign activists spoke on condition that their first names be used or their identities not be revealed for fear of Israeli retaliation, which could include being banned from re-entering the country.
Israel keeps its military rules of engagement in the West Bank secret, but Israeli human rights groups have tried to shed light on them. Joel Carmel of Breaking the Silence, an Israeli anti-occupation NGO, said soldiers and junior commanders were given broad freedom to fire, even if it was based on mere speculation that suspects posed a threat.
During some protests, witnesses said shooting “the main instigators in the legs” was acceptable to deter other protesters, according to Carmel.
The olive grove where Iggy was killed was the scene of a similar incident last month in which another American citizen, Daniel Santiago, 32, was shot in the thigh by an Israeli soldier. The army then claimed he was “accidentally shot” when “soldiers fired live rounds into the air” to disperse protesters.
The American newspaper pointed out that the violence has worsened in the West Bank since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacked Israel on October 7. Israeli forces have killed at least 634 Palestinians during that period, according to the United Nations. Most of them were killed in military raids on Palestinian refugee camps or by Jewish settlers, or in regular confrontations with soldiers in areas such as the town of Beita.
How was Aisha killed?
The Washington Post reported details of Aisha’s killing, quoting activists as saying that she and four other volunteers had hired a taxi from Ramallah and driven 30 miles north to Beita, a known “hotbed.”
It was Aisha Egi’s first time participating in a demonstration in the West Bank, and she was nervous. She told fellow activists that she hoped her presence there would protect Palestinian protesters at a time of escalating violence in the Israeli-occupied territories.
Helen, a volunteer from Australia in her early 60s who had been with Aisha throughout the day, said they had decided to stay away from anywhere near any fighting.
But caution was not enough to protect Aisha, who was shot in the head on September 6 in the town of Beita, near Nablus, after brief clashes following Friday prayers.
In turn, Hisham Duweikat, a resident of the area and a member of the Palestinian National Council, told the newspaper that the Israeli army used to come to the area weekly and tried to prevent Friday prayers several times. “They suppressed us with tear gas and bullets, but the demonstrations continued.”
Helen, an Australian activist who was assigned to be the Turkish-American’s “accompanied” in observing Friday’s demonstration, said Aisha had hoped to be an “eyewitness” to the first protest she had attended.
The Friday prayer site was in a park with a swing and slide for children on a steep hill. It appeared quiet when the international monitors arrived, but residents and activists said Israeli soldiers were already positioned around the area. Townspeople began arriving on foot and in cars and began mingling with the volunteer activists.
A British activist recounted speaking to Aisha as they watched soldiers on the other side of the garden fence, and recalled her saying, “I’m nervous, because the army is there.”
It was just after noon (12:30 p.m.) when Friday prayers began, and Aisha was praying. Videos taken by activists captured a calm scene.
Once the prayers ended at around 1:05 p.m., the atmosphere changed, according to videos and eyewitnesses. Older residents drove away, and young people and children took up positions on the road leading down to the park.
Those present said it was unclear how the confrontation began, but it initially followed the regular rhythm of clashes between heavily armed soldiers and Palestinian protesters. Some threw stones, others used slingshots, while others burned tires on the hill, as pictures show.
Residents and activists said Israeli forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd, then almost immediately resorted to live ammunition.
An Israeli activist, who works with the Fazaa organization, named Jonathan Pollak, described the scene, saying that the Israeli soldiers were “very provocative,” noting that the occupation army has been using live ammunition since last October.
Helen said Iggy was shocked by how quickly things escalated and actually started “backing down the road, behind the boys and the other volunteers.”
A photo taken at 1:21 p.m. shows at least four Israeli soldiers on top of the hill. Video and photos from the next few minutes show soldiers taking up positions on higher ground, including on the rooftop of the home of Ali Maali, a Beita resident, and near a military vehicle.
Maali, 44, said Israeli forces often take over his roof on Fridays because “it’s a strategic location.” Unusually, he said, the soldiers arrived “right after Friday prayers” that day, and at least four of them climbed onto his roof. Others gathered on his balcony below, trying to hide from view.
A video clip filmed at 1:22 p.m. showed the road next to the olive grove, when a shot was fired.
A minute later, the British activist called Aisha to check on her whereabouts, according to a call log seen by The Washington Post. The activist told him she had already come down the hill to the olive grove. “Stay there,” he recalls telling her.
Helen said she took cover behind a tree, with Aisha standing to her left. After a few minutes, the Australian activist said, there was calm. “We had a chance to take a deep breath … and stand at what we thought was a safe distance,” she said.
Israeli activist Polak recalls seeing a soldier aim his rifle “in our direction,” adding that he saw “flames” and heard two shots.
The moment of the shooting was not captured in any of the footage reviewed by The Washington Post, but filming resumed at 1:48 p.m.
Then an unseen woman could be heard screaming in the background, “Gunshot!” and calling for an ambulance.
In the olive grove, Helen saw her friend Aisha fall face down on the ground next to her. She turned her over, and blood was pouring from the left side of Aisha’s head as she lost consciousness. She was pronounced dead at around 2:35 p.m. at Rafidia Hospital, according to its director, Fouad Nafeh, after multiple attempts to revive her.