Funeral held for Seattle woman killed by IDF

Funeral held for Seattle activist killed on West Bank

A funeral procession was held Monday for a Seattle activist who was shot and killed by Israeli forces last week following a demonstration against settlements in the occupied West Bank.

NABLUS, West Bank - A funeral procession was held Monday for a Seattle activist who a witness says was shot and killed by Israeli forces last week following a demonstration against settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Dozens of mourners — including several leading officials of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority — attended the procession for Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old from West Seattle who also held Turkish citizenship.

Eygi’s body was draped in a Palestinian flag and her face was covered with a traditional black-and-white checkered scarf as security forces carried her and then placed her into a Palestinian ambulance.

Image 1 of 12

▼

Two fellow activists of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, who a witness says was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers while participating in an anti-settlement protest in the West Bank, carry posters with her name and photo during Eygi's funeral procession in the West Bank city of Nablus, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo // Nasser Nasser)

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said his country was working on repatriating Eygi’s remains for burial in the Aegean coastal town of Didim as per her family’s wishes. Because the land crossing between the West Bank and Jordan was closed Sunday after an attack on Israeli civilians, the ministry was trying to have the body flown to Turkey.

U.S. officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. has faced criticism for its tepid response to Eygi's killing, despite its swift condemnation of the death of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Sept. 1, including a statement from President Joe Biden.

Instead, the U.S. State Department confirmed Eygi was killed by Israeli forces Friday morning, and National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said the agency is "deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen." The White House has called for an immediate investigation by Israeli authorities, a move also criticized by international media.

Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli peace activist who participated in Friday’s protest with Eygi, said she posed no threat when Israeli forces shot her. He said the killing happened during a period of calm after clashes between soldiers and Palestinian protesters.

Pollak said he saw two Israeli soldiers mount the roof of a nearby home, train a gun in the group’s direction and fire, with one of the bullets striking Eygi in the head.

The Israeli military says it is investigating what happened. On Saturday it said an "initial inquiry" found that security forces had been deployed to disperse a riot near the town of Beita involving Palestinian and Israeli civilians that "included mutual rock hurling." The security forces had fired shots in the air, the military said.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were protesting illegal Israeli expansion into the area, which came in the form of Israel-sponsored settlements in and around Nablus, a Palestinian territory.

Eygi’s family has called on the Biden administration to launch an independent investigation into the killing. The family’s statement was published by International Solidarity Movement, the organization Eygi was volunteering with at the time of her death. It reads in part:

"A U.S. citizen, Ayşenur was peacefully standing for justice when she was killed by a bullet that video shows came from an Israeli military shooter. We welcome the White House’s statement of condolences, but given the circumstances of Aysenur’s killing, an Israeli investigation is not adequate."

"We call on President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of State Blinken to order an independent investigation into the unlawful killing of a U.S. citizen and to ensure full accountability for the guilty parties. We ask the public for privacy as we grieve and try to make sense of the unimaginable tragedy that is Ayşenur’s killing."

The West Bank has seen a surge of violence since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, with increasing Israeli raids, attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis, and attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.