Democrats in the US Congress joined the United Nations in condemning the killing of an American citizen in the occupied West Bank on Friday and calling for Israel to be held accountable as tensions continue to rise over settlement expansion that has accelerated since October 7.

According to eyewitness accounts, Aisha Nour Izgi Eji, 26, was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a protest against settlement expansion in the village of Beita in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The witnesses said the violence erupted during a weekly anti-settlement demonstration, with some protesters throwing rocks at Israeli troops and being met with gunfire. But one bystander told The Associated Press that the situation had already calmed down when Aisha Nour was shot and that she posed no threat to Israeli troops.

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli military wrote that it “responded by firing at the main instigator of the violent activity” in the area and that a “foreign national” was killed as a result. They added that “the details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was injured are under review.”

Ece, a resident of Seattle, Washington, who also holds Turkish citizenship, had recently graduated from the University of Washington and was a volunteer with the activist group International Solidarity Movement. Some mourners on social media have called out another American citizen, Rachel Corrie, who was also associated with the International Solidarity Movement and was killed by Israeli forces on March 16, 2003, while protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli court ruled in 2012 that the military was not at fault in Corrie’s death.

In a statement, Iggy's family said their daughter was "peacefully standing up for justice" and called on the Biden administration to order an "independent investigation" into her death and "ensure full accountability for the guilty parties."

National Security Council spokesman Sean Savitt said in a statement Friday that the United States was "deeply troubled" by Iggy's death and that the White House had requested an investigation from the Israeli government.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that the organization also wants to see "a full investigation into the circumstances and that people must be held accountable," stressing that "civilians must be protected at all times."

Top Democrats quickly joined calls for an investigation into Aisha Noor Iji’s killing, with Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, offering his condolences to Iji’s family in a statement Saturday, calling on the Israeli government to “provide answers quickly and accurately.” Smith also condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as “illegal and destabilizing” and a violation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank.

“The perpetrators must be held accountable through a full, thorough, and transparent investigation,” Smith wrote, stopping short of calling for an independent investigation into Iggy’s death.

In turn, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) echoed calls for increased pressure on the Israeli government, writing that the Biden administration “must do more” to hold Israel accountable for the killing of three American citizens in the West Bank since October 7. Two 17-year-olds were shot dead in separate incidents earlier this year.

“To date, the United States has not received satisfactory responses from the Netanyahu government regarding the other Americans killed in the West Bank since October 7, and the Biden administration has not done enough to achieve justice and accountability on their behalf,” the statement said.

The Maryland senator also denounced escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the expansion of illegal settlements, saying the United States "cannot turn a blind eye to these actions."

It is noteworthy that more than 690 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the occupation army and settlers since October 7.