The partner of an American activist killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank last week pushed back on President Biden calling the shooting “an accident” in remarks to reporters Tuesday.
Hamid Ali, the partner of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, said in a statement that they had not heard from Biden or his White House in the days since the incident.
“An activist and volunteer, Ayşenur was peacefully standing for justice as an international observer and witness to Palestinian suffering,” Ali said in a statement. “She was fatally shot in the head by a bullet that came from an Israeli sniper positioned 200 meters away. This was no accident, and her killers must be held accountable.”
Biden told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday that he was finding out more details, but “apparently it was an accident, ricocheted off the ground and got hit by accident. I’m working that out now.”
Israel said earlier Tuesday it was launching an investigation into the killing of Eygi, a 26-year-old from Seattle who was participating in a demonstration in the West Bank when she was shot and killed.
The Associated Press reported that the doctors who treated Eygi, who also had Turkish citizenship, said she was shot in the head.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the shooting in remarks to reporters during a trip to London.
“We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces,” Blinken said. “It’s not acceptable. It has to change. And we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli government.”
Biden has faced intense criticism from some Democrats over his handling of Israel’s war with Hamas, which has left tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza dead. The war started after attacks on Oct. 7 by Hamas killed more than 1,000 Israelis.