DIDIM, Turkiye: The family of a Turkish-American activist killed during a protest in the occupied West Bank is expecting to bury her in Turkiye, her uncle told AFP on Wednesday.
Aysenur 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 US embassy in Turkiye’s capital Ankara said it was “following the case” but refused to comment.
Tikkim said that Eygi’s mother, who lives in Seattle on the US 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.
“Aysenur 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.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to ensure “that Aysenur Ezgi’s death does not go unpunished.”
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for Israel to provide “full accountability” for Eygi’s death.
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Turkish-American activist’s family awaits body for burial
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Turkish-American activist’s family awaits body for burial
- 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
Lebanon fighting ‘terror financing’, president tells US
- Since January 2025, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have “transferred over $1 billion” to Hezbollah
- President Aoun called on Sunday for “pressure on Israel to stop its ongoing attacks”
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told US officials on Sunday his country was tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism, days after Washington imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members.
The trio were accused of money laundering to fund Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western powers.
The US delegation’s visit to Beirut, headed by senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, came as Washington works to cut off Iran-backed Hezbollah’s funding and Lebanon’s government tries to disarm it.
The group was severely weakened in its most recent war with Israel, which was halted by a November 2024 ceasefire.
“Lebanon strictly applies the measures adopted to prevent money laundering, smuggling, or its use in financing terrorism, and severely punishes financial crimes of all kinds,” Aoun said he had told the delegation.
On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members allegedly involved in the transfer of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the group’s main sponsor.
Part of the funding was via money exchange businesses that operate in cash, said a US Treasury statement.
Since January 2025, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have “transferred over $1 billion” to Hezbollah, “mostly through money exchange companies,” it added.
“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous and secure — but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley said Thursday.
Hurley later posted on X that he, Aoun and Gorka had “discussed ways in which we can partner together to stop the flow of money from Iran to Hezbollah and create a safer and more prosperous Lebanon.”
Israel on Sunday carried out new strikes in south Lebanon, killing two people according to the health ministry, putting the toll from Israeli strikes since Saturday at five.
Aoun called on Sunday for “pressure on Israel to stop its ongoing attacks.”
The trio were accused of money laundering to fund Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western powers.
The US delegation’s visit to Beirut, headed by senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, came as Washington works to cut off Iran-backed Hezbollah’s funding and Lebanon’s government tries to disarm it.
The group was severely weakened in its most recent war with Israel, which was halted by a November 2024 ceasefire.
“Lebanon strictly applies the measures adopted to prevent money laundering, smuggling, or its use in financing terrorism, and severely punishes financial crimes of all kinds,” Aoun said he had told the delegation.
On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members allegedly involved in the transfer of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the group’s main sponsor.
Part of the funding was via money exchange businesses that operate in cash, said a US Treasury statement.
Since January 2025, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have “transferred over $1 billion” to Hezbollah, “mostly through money exchange companies,” it added.
“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous and secure — but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley said Thursday.
Hurley later posted on X that he, Aoun and Gorka had “discussed ways in which we can partner together to stop the flow of money from Iran to Hezbollah and create a safer and more prosperous Lebanon.”
Israel on Sunday carried out new strikes in south Lebanon, killing two people according to the health ministry, putting the toll from Israeli strikes since Saturday at five.
Aoun called on Sunday for “pressure on Israel to stop its ongoing attacks.”
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