Hundreds pay farewell to Turkish-American activist killed by Israel

Hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus have paid farewell to Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by Israeli forces on Friday.

The funeral procession began from Rafidia Government Hospital in Nablus on Monday, with mourners walking through several streets, chanting slogans condemning Israeli actions and praising foreign supporters.

Mourners performed the funeral prayer, led by Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas, with the participation of leaders from various Palestinian factions and a large public turnout.

The body, carried on shoulders, was wrapped in the Palestinian flag, with the head covered by the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.

Eygi’s body is expected to be transported to Türkiye.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, was shot dead by Israeli forces during a Friday protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank.

Early on Monday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli announced that his country is working to facilitate the handover of Eygi’s body.

“We continue the necessary work to deliver the body of our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, to her family for burial,” Keceli wrote on X.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the specifics of the incident or the findings of the autopsy.

Eygi’s killing echoes the case of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in a similar manner in 2022.

She became the third International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist killed by Israeli forces while engaging in peaceful protests against Israeli occupation, illegal Jewish settlements and human rights violations after Rachel Corrie in 2003 and Tom Hurndall in 2004.