Timeline of events since Israeli killing of Turkish American activist in occupied West Bank

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) – A timeline of key events that began with the killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by an Israeli sniper in the occupied West Bank last week:

Sept. 6 – Eygi, who held dual citizenship of both Türkiye and the US, is shot by Israeli forces during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the Nablus district. Eygi is rushed to a nearby hospital where she is declared dead upon arrival.

Sept. 6 – The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemns the killing of Eygi, saying: "We condemn this murder committed by the Netanyahu government."

Sept. 6 – The US State Department says it is gathering more information about the circumstances of the "tragic death" of the Turkish American activist. The White House says it is "deeply disturbed" by the fatal shooting of Eygi, 26.

Sept. 6 – The UN calls for a "full investigation" and accountability for her killing.

Sept. 6 – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledges to act "as necessary" once the US has more information about Eygi's killing, saying, "We deplore this tragic loss."

Sept. 6 – The Israeli army says it is investigating reports of the death of a "foreign national" in the village of Beita.

Sept. 6 – The Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement (ISM) says Israel "deliberately" targeted Eygi, and calls for accountability for Israeli forces' escalating violence against international activists and Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.

Sept. 6 – The White House calls for an investigation into Israel's killing of a Turkish American activist in the West Bank.

Sept. 6 – The family of Eygi urges the Biden administration to conduct an independent investigation into her killing, saying "given the circumstances of Aysenur's killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate".

Sept. 7 – An autopsy report of Eygi confirms she was killed by an Israeli sniper’s bullet to the head, Nablus governor Ghassan Daghlas announces.

Sept. 7 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemns Israel for "heinously" murdering Eygi, saying Israel aims to "commit genocide" in both the West Bank and Gaza and to occupy these areas.

Sept. 8 – Türkiye is actively working to facilitate the handover of the body of Eygi to her family for burial, a Foreign Ministry spokesman says.

Sept. 9 – Hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus bid farewell to Eygi. Mourners march down several streets, chanting slogans condemning Israeli actions and praising foreign supporters.

Sept. 9 – The Palestinian groups say Eygi "will remain an icon" for the Palestinian struggle at the local and international levels.

Sept. 9 – The US State Department urges Israel to conduct a "swift, thorough, and transparent investigation" into the killing and asks Prime Minister Netanyahu's administration to make their findings public.

Sept. 9 – The White House says President Joe Biden has not spoken with the family of Eygi.

Sept. 10 – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel’s killing of Eygi in the occupied West Bank is both "unprovoked and unjustified," stressing that it is "unacceptable."

Sept. 10 – The killing of Turkish American activist by Israeli soldiers exposes how Israel targets even those "who are in favor of peace," Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says.

Sept. 10 – President Joe Biden calls the shooting of Eygi in the head by an Israeli sniper an "accident," saying "It ricocheted off the ground, and she got hit by accident. I'm working that out now."

Sept. 11 – A day after the backlash, Biden says he is "outraged and deeply saddened" by the killing, and that it "is totally unacceptable."

Sept. 11 – In her first statement since the killing, Vice President Kamala Harris calls Israel’s killing of Eygi a "horrific tragedy."

Sept. 11 – Ezgi's family criticizes the Biden-Harris administration's lack of communication and reiterates its call for an independent investigation.

Sept. 11 – US Senator Patty Murray and Representative Pramila Jayapal urge the Biden administration to conduct an independent, US-led investigation into the killing of Eygi.

Sept. 12 – Türkiye launches an investigation into Eygi's killing, with Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc saying Ankara cannot remain silent over the killing of its citizen in an "unlawful terrorist attack by Israeli attackers."

Sept. 12 – Turkish Foreign Ministry says Eygi's body will arrive in Türkiye on Sept. 13.

Sept. 12 – Eygi's father Mehmet Suat Eygi expresses his hope for justice from Washington, saying Türkiye remains committed to investigating this "arbitrary murder" and expects "the same from the US government."

Sept. 13 – Anadolu obtains her forensic medical report, which provides new insights into Eygi's killing, revealing "a gunshot entry wound on the left side of her head, behind the left ear, with brain tissue protruding through the wound."

Sept. 13 – The body of Eygi arrives in Istanbul via Azerbaijan.

Sept. 13 – Eygi's mother Rabia Birden calls for justice, saying her daughter was deliberately targeted and "Let my daughter’s blood not be left unavenged, and let those responsible be punished."

Sept. 13 – Authorities transport Eygi's body to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institution in Izmir, Türkiye's western province, for an autopsy.

Sept. 14 – Eygi is laid to rest in her family's hometown of Didim in Aydin Province following her funeral, which is attended by senior Turkish politicians and thousands of people.

Sept. 14 – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledges to seek justice for Eygi and over 41,000 Gazans, comparing the situation in Gaza to the notorious 1995 Srebrenica genocide.