Body of US-Turkish citizen shot in West Bank to be returned to Turkey for burial

Symbolic funeral held for Aysenur Eygi in Palestinian city of Nablus before her body is transported to Turkey

A Palestinian honour guard carries the body of Aysenur Eygi in Nablus. AP

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The body of a US-Turkish citizen killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank last week will be returned to Turkey for burial at her family’s request, the country’s Foreign Ministry has said.

Palestinians held a symbolic funeral ceremony for Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, near where she was shot dead on Friday in the village of Beita.

The 26-year-old activist's body was carried through the city's streets as part of an official ceremony attended by Nablus Governor Ghassan Douglas, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Footage published by Turkish state news agency Anadolu showed officials laying a wreath on her body, which was draped with a Palestinian flag and a traditional keffiyeh.

The bullet that killed Ms Eygi was fired by Israeli soldiers, a witness told The National. A forensic report cited by Mr Douglas also said the death was caused by an Israeli bullet.

Turkish authorities are continuing efforts to bring Ms Eygi's body from the West Bank to Turkey, where she will be buried on the country’s Aegean coast, a Foreign Ministry representative said.

“It is planned that the body will be buried in the Didim district of Aydın upon the request of the deceased's family,” the representative said in written remarks provided to journalists.

“Our Jerusalem Consulate General is following up on the process in contact with local authorities in order to complete the procedures as soon as possible. Our Los Angeles Consulate General has provided the necessary co-ordination for our citizen's family members to come to our country.”

The date of her burial remains unclear as her body has not yet left the West Bank. A fatal shooting of three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge border point on Sunday prompted the closure of all border crossings between the West Bank and Jordan, complicating efforts to reunite Ms Eygi's family with her body.

"Within this framework, upon the request of our citizen's family, we are working on the option of bringing the body directly to Turkey by plane in order to avoid delays in the transfer of the body," the Turkish Foreign Ministry representative said.

Mourners carry the body of Aysenur Eygi during her funeral procession in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. AP

Ms Eygi, who had been living in Seattle, was a US-Turkish citizen who three months ago graduated from Washington University in psychology, with a minor in Middle Eastern languages and cultures. She was volunteering in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Movement, which describes itself as a non-violent support movement opposing Israeli violations against Palestinians. In her LinkedIn profile, she described herself as, “driven by a passion for making a positive impact and continuously seeking opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to meaningful projects”.

The International Solidarity Movement said Ms Eygi was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire during a weekly protest, which it said mostly consisted of men and children praying.

“The Israeli forces fired two rounds,” a statement said. “One hit a Palestinian man in the leg, injuring him. The other round was fired at international human rights activists who were observing the demonstration, striking a human-rights activist in the head. Eygi died shortly after being transported to a local hospital in Nablus.”

The organisation denied reports that its activists were throwing rocks during the protest. “Aysenur was more than 200 metres away from where the Israeli soldiers were, and there were no confrontations there at all in the minutes before she was shot,” it said.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment, but in an earlier statement said it was “looking into” reports that a foreign citizen had been shot and that “details of the incident and the circumstances in which she was hit are under review”. The US State Department condemned her killing but ultimately said it had no reason to believe it was intentional.

The incident is likely to further sour relations between Turkey and Israel, which have already deteriorated rapidly since Hamas’s October 7 attacks, in which about1,200 people were killed and more than 240 taken hostage by Palestinian militants. Senior Turkish officials have exchanged barbs with Israeli officials over social media: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a vampire", while Israeli officials have posted AI-generated images of the Turkish leader accusing him of supporting Hamas. Turkey halted trade with Israel in May over the war in Gaza, in which more than 41,000 people have been killed, although it has not downgraded diplomatic ties.

Ms Eygi's family have asked for privacy and have not given any media interviews.