New forensic report details Israeli killing of human rights activist Eygi

A forensic medical report obtained by Anadolu has provided new insights into the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist who was shot dead by the Israeli military on September 6 in the occupied West Bank.

Eygi, 26, was participating in a peaceful march on Mount Abu Sbeih in Beita in Nablus, when she was struck by a gunshot to the head fired by Israeli military forces, according to the report released by the Palestinian Ministry of Justice.

Dr. Rayyan al-Ali, the director of the Forensic Medicine Institute at an-Najah National University, conducted the preliminary external examination at Rafidia Surgical Hospital on behalf of the Public Prosecution in Nablus.

Eygi was transported to the hospital by ambulance at 2:06 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024. Upon arrival, she was found having no vital signs, in cardiac arrest with dilated and fixed pupils.

A preliminary examination revealed “a gunshot entry wound on the left side of her head, behind the left ear, with brain tissue protruding through the wound.”

“Despite immediate endotracheal intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, she was declared dead at 2:35 p.m.”

'Tears, bruises in the brain'

A non-contrast CT scan showed a penetrating gunshot wound through the posterior left side of the brain, affecting the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and base of the skull, “with no exit wound or fragments found.”

The projectile further caused “multiple fragments causing random tears and bruises in the brain, subarachnoid haemorrhage, subdural hematoma, and pneumocranium.”

The body was subsequently transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute at an-Najah National University for further examination and autopsy.

The report showed that Eygi “was in good nutritional and muscular condition.”

“Bruising on the left side of the forehead and lateral aspect of the left eye indicated trauma consistent with impact with the ground at the moment of being struck by the projectile.”

“Blood accumulation was noted in the upper eyelid of the right eye and from the left ear, suggesting skull base fractures,” the report revealed.

‘Penetrating gunshot wound’

The forensic report attributed Eygi's death “to haemorrhage, oedema, and rupture of brain tissue caused by the penetrating gunshot wound.”

The projectile was described as “fragmented and stable, with a trajectory inside the cranial cavity travelling from left to right in a nearly straight path.”

US President Joe Biden called the shooting last week by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank an "accident."

"Apparently it was an accident — it ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident. I'm working that out now," Biden told reporters on Tuesday.

The Israeli army said that it is “highly likely” that Eygi was “indirectly and unintentionally” hit by fire from its forces.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel’s killing of Eygi was "unprovoked and unjustified" and that it is "unacceptable."

Eygi, born in Antalya, Türkiye in 1998, graduated in June from the University of Washington, where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.

She arrived in the Israel-occupied West Bank last Tuesday to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement as part of an effort to support and safeguard Palestinian farmers.