American Activist Killed in West Bank Will Be Buried in Turkey

American Activist Killed in West Bank Will Be Buried in Turkey

The body of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American dual citizen, was being sent to Turkey for her funeral. Her fatal shooting by Israeli forces has sparked outrage in both countries.

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By Safak Timur

reporting from Istanbul

The body of a Turkish American activist killed by Israeli gunfire was expected to arrive in Turkey on Friday for her funeral and burial in a town on the Aegean coast.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was protesting near an Israeli settler outpost in the occupied West Bank last week when she was shot in the head by Israeli forces. The Israeli military has said it was highly likely that her shooting was unintentional and that its forces were targeting a “key instigator” of the protest, which it described as “a violent riot.” Eyewitnesses have disputed Israel’s account, saying that clashes were over by the time she was shot.

The killing has sparked outrage in both the United States and Turkey, where Ms. Eygi was born. President Biden said he was “deeply saddened” by her death and demanded “full accountability” from Israel.

Turkey’s justice minister, Yilmaz Tunc, said Thursday that the Turkish government would conduct its own investigation into the killing, press the United Nations to set up an independent inquiry and look for ways to include the findings in an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice that accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians. Israel has strenuously denied the genocide charges.

Ms. Eygi left Turkey with her parents for the United States when she was 8 months old but returned to visit often.

Turkish officials said she was to be buried in Didim, a resort town on the Aegean coast where her father is from. The funeral service was expected to be held on Saturday.

Her relatives decorated her grandfather’s house with a Turkish flag and have been accepting condolences there, Turkish television showed.

According to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, Ms. Eygi’s body is being flown to Baku, Azerbaijan, from Tel Aviv, and then to Istanbul, where it is expected to arrive early Friday. There are no direct flights between Tel Aviv and Istanbul.

Earlier this week, a memorial service for Ms. Eygi was held in the West Bank, where her body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag as dozens of mourners erupted in chants demanding justice for her killing.

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