UPDATE - Autopsy of Turkish-American activist shows she was killed by sniper’s bullet to the head: Nablus governor

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Anadolu staff

An autopsy report of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist, has confirmed she was killed by an Israeli sniper’s bullet to the head, Nablus governor Ghassan Daghlas said on Saturday.

Eygi, who was participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita, was shot by Israeli forces on Friday.

In a statement to Anadolu, Daghlas said the autopsy results indicated Eygi’s cause of death was a gunshot wound inflicted by a sniper, specifically targeting her head. Eygi had been rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead upon arrival.

He said the examination was conducted late Friday night at the Forensic Medicine Institute, An-Najah National University in Nablus.

Palestinian officials had earlier suggested Eygi’s death was likely the result of deliberate targeting by an Israeli sniper.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, information about Eygi’s death was shared with the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem on Friday.

The sources indicated that Eygi may have been intentionally targeted by an Israeli sniper using live ammunition rather than rubber bullets.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, had been actively involved in solidarity movements supporting Palestinian rights. Her death has sparked outrage and calls for accountability from both local and international communities.

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.

Shireen, a senior Al Jazeera journalist widely respected for her extensive coverage of Palestine and Israel, was shot in the head on May 11, 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank city of Hebron. She was wearing a press jacket and a helmet.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi