Funeral Held for Turkish-American Activist Killed in West Bank

Didim, Aydin, TURKEY – Hundreds of people displayed Turkish and Palestinian flags during the funeral on Saturday for Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist who lost her life in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Among the attendees at the ceremony held in the Turkish Aegean coastal city of Didim were Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, and main opposition Republican People’s Party leader Ozgur Ozel.

A guard of honor carried the 26-year-old’s coffin, which was adorned with a Turkish flag. “The blood of Ayşenur Eygi is as sacred as that of every Palestinian martyred, and we will pursue this matter until the end. As a nation, we are committed to this. As a state, we are fully dedicated,” Kurtulmus stated to reporters.

Eygi was fatally shot on September 6 while participating in a protest against settlement expansion in the West Bank. Israel has acknowledged that its troops were responsible for the shooting but characterized it as an unintentional act during a demonstration that escalated into violence.

Kurtulmus emphasized, “She was directly targeted and shot behind her left ear. May God have mercy on her, and may her soul rest in paradise.” Ankara has announced plans to seek international arrest warrants for those it holds accountable for what it describes as a deliberate killing.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Eygi’s death, stating that it was unacceptable and called for Israel to take greater measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Kurtulmus assured that Turkey would relentlessly pursue justice in this case. “We will hold them accountable in all international courts. Yesterday, we completed the autopsies in accordance with international standards,” he added.

Prayers for Eygi were held in several Turkish cities, including Istanbul and Ankara.