NABLUS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Monday in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, to pay respects to a US-Turkish activist killed while protesting against Zionist settlements in a nearby town. The body of the slain 26-year-old, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was wrapped in a Palestinian flag, with her head covered by a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf symbolizing the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist entity.

Palestinian security forces carried her body through the streets of Nablus, accompanied by the sound of Palestinian bagpipes, before a wreath was placed over her remains. The memorial, which began at Nablus’ Rafidia hospital, drew large crowds. The UN rights office said Zionist forces killed Eygi with a “shot in the head”. The mayor of Beita and the Palestinian news agency Wafa also reported that she was killed by Zionist soldiers.

The Zionist army acknowledged it had opened fire in the Beita area and said it was “looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired”. The United Nations said Eygi had been taking part in a “peaceful anti-settlement protest” in Beita, scene of weekly demonstrations. Turkey condemned her death, while the United States called it “tragic” and pressed its ally the Zionist entity to investigate.

The commemoration was postponed from Sunday, due to a dispute between the United States and Turkey over “details such as the burial location and the route her body would take”, said Mahmud Al-Aloul, a senior Fatah official. Aloul said that “Palestine would be honored for the martyr to be buried here”.

Since Oct 7, Zionist troops or settlers have killed more than 662 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Zionist settlements in the West Bank, where about 490,000 people live, are illegal under international law. – AFP