Funeral held for US-Turkish activist killed in West Bank

Funeral held for US-Turkish activist killed in West Bank

Hundreds gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a dual US-Turkish citizen who was tragically shot dead in the occupied West Bank last week.

A guard of honor carried Eygi’s coffin during the ceremony, which was held in her hometown of Didim, in western Turkey.

Israel has stated that it is “highly likely” that Eygi, 26, was killed by its forces during a protest in the West Bank on September 6. Turkey, however, contends that her death was intentional.

Eygi’s death has heightened tensions between the two nations, with several Turkish officials, including Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, attending the funeral.

Outside Didim’s Central Mosque, mourners carrying Palestinian and Turkish flags gathered in large numbers as the ceremony unfolded.

Also among the mourners were Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Özgür Özel.

“The blood of Ayşenur Eygi is as sacred as that of every Palestinian martyred, and we will follow it until the end,” Kurtulmus told reporters, according to Reuters news agency.

“As the Turkish nation, we are fully committed. As a state, we are fully committed.”

Prayers were held for Eygi in cities across Turkey, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

Her mother, Rabia Birden, said on Friday: “The only thing I ask of our state is to seek justice for my daughter,” according to Anadolu news agency.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously said it was “highly likely” Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally” by IDF fire, which was not “aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the killing was “unprovoked and unjustified”.

“No-one should be shot and killed for attending a protest, no-one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views,” Blinken told reporters shortly after the IDF released its statement.

Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023.

Turkey suspended all imports and exports from Israel in May and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “the butcher of Gaza”.

In response to the suspension of trade, Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz accused Mr Erdogan of acting like a “dictator”.