American activist killed by Israeli fire is buried in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey — A Turkish-American activist who was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank was laid to rest on Saturday in her hometown in Turkey with thousands lining the streets and anti-Israeli feelings in the country rising from a conflict that threatens to spread across the region.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old woman from Seattle, was shot dead Sept. 6 by an Israeli soldier during a demonstration against Israeli West Bank settlements, according to an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting.

Thousands of people lined the streets in the Turkish coastal town of Didim on the Aegean Sea, as Eygi was buried in a coffin draped in a Turkish flag, which was taken from her family home. A portrait of her wearing her graduation gown was propped against the coffin as people paid their respects.

Her body was earlier brought from a hospital to her family home and Didim’s Central Mosque.

Turkey condemned the killing and announced it will conduct its own investigation into her death. “We are not going to leave our daughter’s blood on the ground and we demand responsibility and accountability for this murder,” Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament told mourners at the funeral.

On Friday, an autopsy had been carried out at Izmir Forensic Medicine Institute. Kurtulmus said the examination showed Eygi was hit by a round that struck her in the back of the head below her left ear.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces.

Her death was condemned by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the United States, Egypt and Qatar push for a cease-fire in the 11-month-long Israel-Hamas war and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Talks have repeatedly bogged down as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of making new and unacceptable demands.

Israelis are growing increasingly frustrated with the government for not reaching a cease-fire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home. On Saturday night, thousands of Israelis streamed into the streets in Tel Aviv demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bring the hostages back.

At one of the rallies, Anat Angrest, mother of kidnapped soldier Matan Angrest, shared a voice recording from her son while in captivity asking Netanyahu to make a deal. “I want to see my family and friends,” said Matan in the message. Angrest then addressed the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

“Where are you, negotiation team? There is no deal for over eight months, so what are you doing?”

Anger has spiked since the bodies of six hostages were found in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah earlier this month. The military said the six were killed shortly before Israeli forces were to rescue them.

Overnight into Saturday, Israeli airstrikes pounded central and southern Gaza, killing at least 14 people.

The Israeli army on Saturday ordered Palestinians sheltering in the northern neighborhoods of Manshiyeh, Beit Lahia and Sheikh Zayed to evacuate south toward Gaza City. The order came after projectiles were fired from the area, the Israeli army said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, a campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio drew down and the World Health Organization said about 559,000 under the age of 10 have received their first dose, seven out of every eight children the campaign aimed to vaccinate. The second doses are expected to begin later this month as part of an effort in which the WHO said parties had already agreed to.