American-Turkish activist's funeral held following their fatal shooting by Israeli military forces in the West Bank.
A radical activist's corpse landed in Turkey on a Friday, arriving in a flat-top casket, draped in the Turkish flag, andbearer by soldiers. This ceremony is typically reserved for fallen soldiers.
The coffin was stationed outside Didim Central Mosque on the subsequent Saturday, prompting funeral processions and a crowd gathering to honor the 26-year-old.
This individual, who hailed from Turkey but held US citizenship, was struck down by Israeli forces while participating in a weekly protest against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beita. Such Israeli settlements are deemed unlawful under international law.
She was a recent graduate of the University of Washington, and was offering her services to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the same activist group as Rachel Corrie, a US citizen who perished in 2003 attempting to halt an Israeli bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes in Gaza.
US authorities are investigating the lethal occurrence, and Turkish officials have claimed Israel is responsible for her demise.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) suggested it was "probable" that she was "inadvertently struck by IDF fire."
In its initial analysis of the event, the IDF stated that the shot was not directed towards the activist, but at "the key instigator" of a "violent riot" at the Beita Junction. Palestinians were reportedly setting tires aflame and hurling rocks at Israeli security forces there. The alleged instigator remained unnamed.
US President Joe Biden denounced the shooting as "completely unacceptable" and called for "full accountability" regarding her demise.
However, the ISM criticized Biden for refusing to fulfill the family's demands for an unbiased and transparent investigation into her death.
She was eulogized by her family as a "fervently dedicated human rights activist" who was "gentle, courageous, silly, supportive, and a source of sunlight."
"Like the olive tree she lay beneath, drawing her last breaths, Aysenur was strong, beautiful, and nourishing. Her presence in our lives was taken away unjustly, illegally, and violently by the Israeli military," they declared in a statement.
The activist's tragic death in the Middle East sparked global concern, with notable figures and organizations expressing their condolences and demanding justice.
Her actions in the Middle East, advocating for Palestinians and challenging Israeli settlements, had resonated widely in the world.
