A Turkish-American activist who was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank was laid to rest on Saturday in her hometown in Türkiye with thousands lining the streets and anti-Israeli feelings in the country rising from a conflict that threatens to spread across the region.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old woman from Seattle, was shot dead Sept. 6 by an Israeli soldier during a demonstration against Israeli West Bank settlements, according to an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting.
Thousands of people lined the streets in the Turkish coastal town of Didim on the Aegean Sea, as Eygi was buried in a coffin draped in a Turkish flag, which was taken from her family home. A portrait of her wearing her graduation gown was propped against the coffin as people paid their respects.
Her body was earlier brought from a hospital to her family home and Didim’s Central Mosque.
Türkiye condemned the killing and announced it will conduct its own investigation into her death. “We are not going to leave our daughter’s blood on the ground and we demand responsibility and accountability for this murder,” Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Türkiye’s parliament told mourners at the funeral.
On Friday, an autopsy had been carried out at Izmir Forensic Medicine Institute. Kurtulmus said the examination showed Eygi was hit by a round that struck her in the back of the head below her left ear.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces.
Her death was condemned by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the United States, Egypt and Qatar push for a ceasefire in the 11-month-long Israel-Hamas war and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Talks have repeatedly bogged down as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of making new and unacceptable demands.
The war began when Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. They abducted another 250 people and are still holding around 100 hostages after releasing most of the rest in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a weeklong ceasefire in November. Around a third of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead.
Israelis are growing increasingly frustrated with the government for not reaching a ceasefire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home. On Saturday night, thousands of Israelis streamed into the streets in Tel Aviv demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bring the hostages back.
