Palestine to apply ICC for killing of Turkish American activist

RAMALLAH

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced preparations to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the killing of Turkish American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi.

Eygi was shot in her head and killed on Sept. 6 by Israel in the occupied West Bank.

The announcement came during a telephone call Abbas made to Eygi’s father, Mehmet Suat Eygi, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Abbas extended condolences to the Turkish people for the killing of Eygi, whom he described as the “brave daughter of Palestine and Türkiye who was assassinated at the hands of the Israeli occupation” and an “honest symbol of the solidarity between the brotherly Turkish and Palestinian peoples.”

“The Palestinian leadership was engaged with the U.S. and Turkish authorities to ensure conducting a fair investigation into her killing and that work was underway to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the crime of her assassination,” he said.

Abbas announced his decision “to bestow upon her the Medal of the Star of Jerusalem in recognition of her dearly sacrifice for the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and independence and invited her parents and family to visit Palestine.”

The 26-year-old activist traveled to the region to support Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, according to reports from the International Solidarity Movement — a Palestinian-led group that is helping the Palestinian cause in the conflict with Israel.

Mourners gathered on Sept. 14 for the funeral of the activist as Eygi's body, wrapped in the Turkish flag and carried by uniformed officers, arrived at its final resting place Didim.

A large crowd gathered during the prayers including Eygi's family, including politicians and activists advocating the Palestinian cause. Protesters chanted slogans near the mosque showing their support for Palestinians.

Her family wanted Eygi to be buried in Didim, where her grandfather lives and her grandmother has been laid to rest. She was a frequent visitor to the seaside resort.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş visited the family of the slain Turkish American activist to offer his condolences on their loss.

"Just as the blood of every martyred Palestinian is sacred, Ayşenur Eygi's blood is equally sacred. We will follow her case until the end," Kurtulmuş told her mourning family, relatives and friends.

The Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç also visited the family to offer his condolences. Main Opposition Republican People Party’s (CHP) leader party Özgür Özel also attended the funeral.

The young woman's body arrived in Istanbul from Tel Aviv, before being transferred to Türkiye’s third-biggest city İzmir, for an autopsy.

Initial findings revealed a bullet hit her in the head, and the cause of Eygi's death was defined as "skull fracture, brain hemorrhage and brain tissue damage," state-run TRT television reported.

The report overlapped with an initial autopsy carried out by three Palestinian doctors, which concluded that a bullet passed directly through the victim's skull.

Türkiye earlier announced that it launched an investigation into the killing, adding that Ankara would press the U.N. to act.