ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) 鈥 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鈥檚 Central Mosque.
Turkey condemned the killing and announced it will conduct its own investigation into her death. 鈥淲e are not going to leave our daughter鈥檚 blood on the ground and we demand responsibility and accountability for this murder,鈥 Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey鈥檚 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 鈥渋ndirectly and unintentionally鈥 by Israeli forces.
Her death was condemned by 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 as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of making new and unacceptable demands.
The war began when Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. They abducted another 250 people and are still holding around 100 hostages after releasing most of the rest in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Around a third of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead.
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. 鈥淚 want to see my family and friends," said Matan in the message. Angrest then addressed the head of Israel鈥檚 Mossad spy agency.
"Where are you, negotiation team? There is no deal for over eight months, so what are you doing?鈥
Anger has spiked since the bodies of 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.
Many blame Netanyahu for failing to reach a deal, which opinion polls show a majority of Israelis favor. However, the country is also extremely divided and Netanyahu has significant support for his strategy of 鈥渢otal victory鈥 against Hamas, even if a deal for the hostages has to wait.
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza
Israeli airstrikes pounded central and southern Gaza overnight into Saturday, killing at least 14 people.
The strikes in Gaza City hit one home housing 11 people, including three women and four children, and another strike hit a tent in Khan Younis with Palestinians displaced by the , Gaza's Civil Defense said. They followed airstrikes earlier this week that hit a tent camp on Tuesday and a United Nations school sheltering displaced on Wednesday.
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. It remains unclear how many people are sheltering in those areas.
First phase of anti-polio campaign ends
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 recovered from 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.
"As we prepare for the next round in four weeks, we鈥檙e hopeful these pauses will hold, because this campaign has clearly shown the world what鈥檚 possible when peace is given a chance,鈥 Richard Peeperkorn, WHO鈥檚 representative in Gaza and the West Bank, said in a statement on Saturday.
The war has caused vast destruction and , often multiple times, and plunged the territory into a severe humanitarian crisis. Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry says since the war began. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count, but says women and children make up just over half of the dead. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants in the war.
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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo; Sam Metz in Rabat, Morocco; and Eleanor H. Reich in New York, contributed to this report.
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