Turkish-American activist's family awaits body for burial

AYDIN

The family of a Turkish-American activist killed during a protest in the occupied West Bank is expecting to bury her in Türkiye, her uncle told AFP on Wednesday.

Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot dead last week while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita.

The United Nations rights office has accused Israeli forces of having shot Eygi, 26, in the head.

The Israeli army has acknowledged opening fire in the area and said it was looking into the case.

Her family is still waiting for Eygi's body to arrive and is hoping to bury her in the southwestern town of Didim on Friday.

"It's sad but it's also a source of pride for Didim," Eygi's uncle Ali Tikkim, 67, told AFP.

"It's important that a young girl, martyred and sensitive to the world is buried here."

Eygi was a frequent visitor to the Aegean seaside resort.

"It's likely that the funeral will take place on Friday but nothing is certain," said Tikkim, who said he believed her body was still in Israel.

"Israel asked for an autopsy" but Eygi's parents refused and have "hired a lawyer" to inform Israeli authorities, Tikkim said.

The U.S. embassy in the capital Ankara said it was "following the case" but refused to comment.

Tikkim said that Eygi's mother, who lives in Seattle on the U.S. west coast, arrived in Didim on Wednesday and that her father was on his way.

The family wanted Eygi to be buried in Didim, where her grandfather lives and her grandmother has been laid to rest, said Tikkim.

"Ayşenur was here about two weeks ago. She came here twice a year when she could, to swim and visit her family," he said.

"Then she told us she was going to Jordan. She went to Palestine for humanitarian reasons."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to ensure "that Ayşenur Ezgi's death does not go unpunished".

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for Israel to provide "full accountability" for Eygi's death.