The US is urging Israel to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of a Turkish-American activist

WASHINGTON

People gathered at the monument to Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi.

The United States is urging Israel to provide a “thorough response” and quickly complete the investigation into the killing of Turkish-American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.

“We understand that it is ongoing and we continue to push for a conclusion to this investigation that provides a thorough answer, and once we have a response from the Israeli government, you will certainly hear from us about what.” “We are thinking about it,” State Department spokesman Matt Miller told reporters.

Miller said U.S. officials had been speaking with Israeli authorities “over the past few days” about the progress of the investigation into Eygi's death.

The 26-year-old activist was killed by Israeli forces on September 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

While Israeli preliminary investigations found that Eygi was “most likely” hit “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli fire, video evidence and witness statements contradict this version of events, with many saying she was directly targeted by an Israeli sniper.

Miller emphasized that the US does not need to wait for the outcome of the investigation to take action if necessary, including possible reviews of the use of US weapons.

“Pending the outcome of this ongoing criminal investigation in no way precludes action by the U.S. government if we deem such action appropriate,” he said.

Eygi's family has called for an independent US investigation into her murder, and Turkish authorities are also investigating the incident.

Miller reiterated that the US “takes very seriously the death of an American citizen under circumstances in which she should never have been killed” and is “as impatient for answers about what happened as anyone.”