Israel Admits It Likely Killed American, by Mistake

Israel acknowledged on Tuesday that it was "highly likely" one of its soldiers fired the shot that killed 26-year-old American citizen Aysenur Eygi last week. The development prompted what the Washington Post describes as an unusually harsh criticism of Israeli tactics by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

• The American: Eygi, a recent graduate of the University of Washington, was born in Turkey but grew up near Seattle. She was fatally shot Friday while attending a protest against the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, reports NBC News. Eygi was there as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian activist group.

• Israel: The Israeli military says it "expresses its deepest regret" after its own investigation "found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by [Israeli army] fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot," per the Los Angeles Times. Fellow activists reject the notion it was a "riot" and say Eygi was shot after a confrontation between villagers and soldiers had largely settled.
• Blinken: The secretary of state said Eygi's death was "not acceptable," adding: "No one, no one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just to purely express their views. The Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank, including changes in their rules of engagement." The Post sees it as one of the strongest American criticisms of Israeli policy since the war with Hamas began in October.

(More Israel stories.)