Body of Turkish-American activist killed by Israel arrives in Türkiye

ANKARA

The body of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank last week, arrived in Istanbul via Azerbaijan on Friday.

A Turkish Airlines plane brought Eygi's body to the Istanbul Airport, where a ceremony was held.

Ambassador Ayşe Sözen Usluer, Istanbul representative of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and other Turkish officials attended the event.

Her body, wrapped in the Turkish flag, was received by a military squad at the airport.

Istanbul governor Davut Gül also attended the ceremony at Istanbul's airport, where they prayed before the coffin wrapped in the Turkish flag.

Following the ceremony, Eygi's body was flown to Izmir for burial in Aydın, southwestern Türkiye.

Ankara has launched an investigation into Eygi's death during a protest in the occupied West Bank town of Beita.

It has also petitioned the U.N. to launch an independent inquiry into the killing.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a vocal opponent of Israel's war in Gaza, has vowed to ensure "that Ayşenur Ezgi's death does not go unpunished."

Her family said she was "shot in the head and killed by a bullet from an Israeli soldier" during a weekly demonstration against Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.

U.S. President Joe Biden called on Wednesday for Israel to provide "full accountability" and demanded it "do more" to avoid such killings.

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday that increased violence in the occupied West Bank meant it risked becoming "a new Gaza".

Eygi's family is hoping to hold her funeral on Saturday in the western coastal town of Didim.

"It's sad but it's also a source of pride for Didim," Eygi's uncle Ali Tikkim, 67, who lives in the town, said on Wednesday.

Turkish diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem coordinated the transfer of Eygi's body from Tel Aviv to Baku before the final journey to Türkiye.