UPDATE 2 - Turkish vice president, foreign minister attend funeral of Turkish American activist killed by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

UPDATES WITH TÜRKİYE’S COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR REMARKS

By Faruk Zorlu and Esra Tekin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday attended the funeral service of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist who was killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Sept. 6.

A memorial service in the coastal city of Didim in the Aegean province of Aydin was also attended by several high-ranking Turkish officials, including Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunc, and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

Ozgur Ozel, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoglu were also present.

The event brought together representatives from various political parties and sectors, showcasing unity in the face of tragedy.

"We will work tirelessly to ensure the perpetrators of this inhumane attack are brought to justice,” Fidan said in a post on X.

He also criticized the global silence on the violence, describing it as a "dark stain in history."

Türkiye’s communications director also remembered Eygi, saying: “With a heavy heart, we have sent Aysenur Ezgi Eygi to her last journey. May God accept her martyrdom. I offer my sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones. As the Turkish government, we will do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice.”

Mentioning that Ankara has already launched an investigation into Eygi’s murder by Israeli forces, Fahrettin Altun called for an international investigation.

He also urged Washington to do the same and put pressure on Israeli authorities “for answers and full accountability” because Eygi held dual Turkish and US citizenship.

“The international community must end its habit of looking the other way when Israel has been committing countless crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Aysenur’s martyrdom is the latest example where Israel tries to get away with impunity. It is way past time for Israeli accountability,” he added.

- Shot to death during peaceful protest

Before her death, Eygi had traveled to the West Bank to support Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, according to the International Solidarity Movement.

On Sept. 3, Eygi went to observe a protest in the town of Beita in Nablus, to stand against the illegal Israeli settlements there.

The movement reported that on Sept. 6 Eygi was intentionally targeted and killed by an Israeli sniper standing on a nearby rooftop.

Eyewitnesses reported that when she was shot by the sniper, Eygi was far from the protest area. She was taken to a Palestinian hospital but despite doctors’ best efforts, could not be saved.

Turkish diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem coordinated the transfer of her body from Tel Aviv to Baku, Azerbaijan before her final journey to Türkiye.

Turkish authorities received Eygi’s body on Friday and transported it to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institution for an autopsy.

Türkiye on Thursday also launched an investigation into the killing under domestic law.

The autopsy found that a bullet entered through her lower ear area.

Eygi was shot in the head during a peaceful protest and died later in a hospital.

The autopsy by the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institution has found that her cause of death was a skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, and brain tissue damage. There was a bullet entry wound but no exit wound, and metallic fragments from the bullet are being analyzed. The autopsy procedures are ongoing.