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Aysenur Eygi Ezgi, the US-Turkish activist shot dead by the Israeli army at a protest in the occupied West Bank, was buried in her family's hometown, Didim, on Turkey’s Aegean coast, on Saturday afternoon, in the presence of her relatives and friends.
Her body arrived in Istanbul on Friday morning before being taken to the city of Izmir, where a postmortem examination took place. Officials said the findings would form part of their investigation into her death on September 6.
Ms Eygi’s body was carried to the town cemetery and taken from the coffin before being lowered into the grave by her father and partner. Imam Kadir Dinc, who led the prayers at Didim central mosque over her body earlier in the day, recited the Quranic verse: “Do not consider as dead those who are slain in the path of God; rather, they are alive in the presence of their Lord.”
Onlookers helped to cover Ms Eygi's body with soil, before a keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf, was draped over the grave. Her partner, Hamid Ali, sat next to the grave and gently touched the earth.
Ms Eygi, 26, lived in Seattle in the US and had recently graduated from the University of Washington. She had gone to volunteer in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Association, a pro-Palestine volunteer group.
She had visited her grandfather in Didim in early September, just before travelling to Jordan to cross into the West Bank, according to her uncle, Ali Tikkin.
“Her father had told her not to go, how it would be very dangerous,” Mr Tikkin, 67, told The National. She told him, 'If it useful for humanity, I don't mind dying.'”
She was shot dead while observing a protest in the village of Beita in Nablus Governorate, in what the Israeli army said was “highly likely” to have been gunfire from its troops. Both Palestinian and Turkish autopsy reports attributed her death to a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage from a gunshot wound.
Israeli attacks have intensified in the West Bank in recent weeks, as it carried out its biggest military operation in the Palestinian territory in decades. Almost 700 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the UN, and attacks on Palestinian communities by Israeli settlers have grown more widespread. The UN has recorded about 1,350 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians since October 7, forcing more than 1,600 people from their homes.
US-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi's funeral – in pictures
Ms Eygi's funeral was attended by senior Turkish officials including the Ministers of Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs and Family and Social Services who alongside other mourners spoke of the more than 41,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza before Ms Eygi was shot dead last week.
“She fell as a martyr. May God bless her martyrdom. May God accept her martyrdom together with more than 41,000 martyrs who were martyred there [in Gaza],” said imam Dinc after praying over Ms Eygi’s body.
Her father, Mehmet Suat Eygi, looked on, visibly stricken. Some of the thousands of mourners who gathered in the streets of Didim waved Palestinian flags and some wore keffiyehs.
If the world wants to commemorate her, then it needs to take serious steps to stop the Israeli occupation and the mass killing of Palestinians
Diaa Nawfal,
Palestinian mourner in Turkey
A Palestinian studying in Turkey interviewed by The National outside the home of Ms Eygi’s grandfather said the activist had given “everything she had” for Palestinians.
“If the world wants to commemorate her, then it needs to take serious steps to stop the Israeli occupation and the mass killing of Palestinians,” said Diaa Nawfal, a 24-year-old bioengineering student who moved from Nablus to study in Turkey two years ago. “It is the least we can do to come here to pay our respects to her.”
Another Palestinian, Youssef Audi, 20, said Ms Eygi was “martyred for our cause” and that he was not expecting any results from Israeli investigations into her killing or measures against the soldier who fired the bullet that killed her.
In interviews with The National, relatives and neighbours described Ms Eygi as passionate about humanitarian and environmental causes. “She went [to the West Bank] because she wanted to stop the war,” said Munaver Arslan, one of Ms Eygi's nieces, as she began to cry. “She had lots of humanity.”
Ms Eygi's family and close friends have demanded firm action over her death from the US government. It has said it is not carrying out its own investigation, but expects continued access to Israel's continuing inquiry “so that we can have confidence in the result”, according to a statement by President Biden released on Wednesday.
Ibrahim Kahraman, who lives in the apartment above Ms Eygi's grandfather in Didim, said he did not have much faith in US demands to Israel to ensure similars incidents do not happen in the future.
“All the big countries are two-faced,” Mr Kahraman, 69, told The National outside his home. “The US is not serious in its request asking Israel to change.”
The incident is likely to further strain relations between Turkey and Israel, which have deteriorated rapidly since the October 7 Hamas attacks, which killed 1,200 people and lead to more than 240 being taken hostage, and the resulting war in Gaza. Turkey has halted all trade with Israel and senior officials from the two nations have traded barbs over social media.
Turkey's Justice Minister said last week that it would send reports on Ms Eygi's killing to the International Criminal Court to form part of proceedings against Israeli officials. In May, the court's chief prosecutor applied for international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as senior Hamas officials, although they have not yet been issued.
Evrim Karakoz, a local MP for Turkey's main opposition party attending the funeral, told The National that it was important for his country to show it is defending its own citizens' rights, but also that world leaders need to give greater attention to addressing violations against Palestinians.
“The world is ignoring the Palestinian cause,” said Mr Karakoz. “We are on the side of the Palestinian people. Aysenur died for humanity. She was innocent.”
In Didim, mourners continued to gather around Ms Eygi's grave late on Saturday afternoon, the quiet broken by prayers relayed over a loud speaker. “I hope this war ends,” said her niece Ms Arslan.
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Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
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