Aysenur: Heroic Martyrdom

By Khaled Nusseibeh

She graced the hallowed soil
With the wanton spilling of her noble blood
Aysenur stands at a towering height
Carving in Palestine’s memory a story of heroic martyrdom
She answered the beckoning call of tremendous injustice
To stand in solidarity against iniquitous occupation
In the environs of the blessed city of Nablus
In the contiguous hamlet of Beita
The mischievous sniper’s fire targeted her
Inflicting the dying day on her living soul

Shall we sing an ode or an elegy?
To mourn the passing of Aysenur
Daughter of great Turkey and America
Whose only wrongdoing was to stand by
Those protesting nefarious and illegal settlement
Of the holy soil marking a day of immense grief
At the death of a righteous warrior
Struggling to lift injustice and affirm an incontrovertible truth
That Palestine is the abode of the steadfast and brave
Who show tremendous courage in the face of injustice
Only to rise from the ashes and light the torch of freedom and justice

Khaled Nusseibeh is a translator, writer and a poet with several published poetry collections to his name. He holds a BA and MA Degrees from Colombia and Princeton universities in the USA. Mr Nusseibeh was born in Amman in 1961 and is a Jordanian of Palestinian origin.

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Truth Be Told….

Palestinian groups, Monday, said Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi “will remain an icon” for the Palestinian struggle on the local and international levels. 

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, was shot dead by Israeli forces during a Friday protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the National and Islamic Forces, an umbrella that includes most of the Palestinian groups, said: “Martyr Aysenur will remain an icon for the struggle and fighting at the Palestinian and international levels.”

“Many solidarity activists join our Palestinian people in the activities of the popular resistance in the towns and villages that are exposed to (Israeli) colonization and expropriation,” the statement read.

The Palestinian groups considered Eygi’s death as a confirmation of Israel’s implementing of the policies of killing, expulsion, and ban-of-entry for international solidarity activists.

The statement stressed the importance for punishing Israel for its indifference towards the life of international solidarity activists who stand against Israeli occupation and settlements construction on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Early on Monday, hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus paid farewell to activist Eygi. The funeral procession began from Rafidia Government Hospital in Nablus, with mourners walking through several streets, chanting slogans condemning Israeli actions and praising foreign supporters, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Eygi’s body is expected to be transported to Türkiye.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the specifics of the incident or the findings of the autopsy.

Eygi’s killing echoes the case of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in a similar manner in 2022.

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Nablus Mourns Slain US-Turkish Activist

 Residents of Nablus in the occupied West Bank held a solemn funeral, Monday, for American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Egi, who was fatally sniped by Israeli forces during a peaceful protest last Friday.

Egi’s death has triggered widespread condemnation, as she was participating in a nonviolent demonstration opposing Israeli settlement expansion in the town of Beita, south of Nablus according to the Quds News Network.

The funeral prayer took place after her body was released from Rafidia Governmental Hospital in the afternoon.

Local authorities, led by Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas, along with representatives from civil society, gathered to honor her memory. The Palestinian security forces organized an official convoy, underscoring the significant impact of her death on the community.

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Will Israel be Held to Count For Her Death?

An autopsy report of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist, has confirmed she was killed by an Israeli sniper’s bullet to the head, Nablus governor Ghassan Daghlas said on Saturday.

Eygi, who was participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita, was shot by Israeli forces on Friday according to Anadolu.

In a statement to Anadolu, Daghlas said the autopsy results indicated Eygi’s cause of death was a gunshot wound inflicted by a sniper, specifically targeting her head. Eygi had been rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead upon arrival.

He said the examination was conducted late Friday night at the Forensic Medicine Institute, An-Najah National University in Nablus.

Palestinian officials had earlier suggested Eygi’s death was likely the result of deliberate targeting by an Israeli sniper.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, information about Eygi’s death was shared with the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem on Friday.

The sources indicated that Eygi may have been intentionally targeted by an Israeli sniper using live ammunition rather than rubber bullets.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Türkiye and the US, had been actively involved in solidarity movements supporting Palestinian rights. Her death has sparked outrage and calls for accountability from both local and international communities.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on the specifics of the incident or the findings of the autopsy.

Eygi’s killing echoes the case of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in a similar manner in 2022.

Shireen, a senior Al Jazeera journalist widely respected for her extensive coverage of Palestine and Israel, was shot in the head on May 11, 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank city of Hebron. She was wearing a press jacket and a helmet.

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Israeli Forces Kill US-Turkish Activist in Beita

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, Friday, demanded those responsible for the murder of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi be held accountable.

Eygi, a Turkish-American activist, was shot and killed by Israeli forces, Friday, during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita, near Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Ministry strongly condemned Eygi’s killing, describing it as a “heinous crime that requires holding those responsible accountable.”

It added the killing of Eygi is a continuation of Israel’s crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Fouad Nafaa, director of the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told Anadolu that Eygi arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. She succumbed to her injuries despite medical teams’ efforts to revive her, according to Nafaa.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers opened live fire on a group of Palestinians participating in a demonstration condemning the illegal settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, which lies south of the city of Nablus.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa confirmed that the victim was a volunteer with the Fazaa campaign, an initiative aimed at supporting and protecting Palestinian farmers from ongoing violations by illegal Israeli settlers and the military.

Beita residents hold protests after weekly Muslim Friday prayers in congregation to oppose the illegal Israeli settlement of Avitar, which sits atop Mount Sbeih. The community demands that the settlement be removed because it violates their land rights.

Eygi was born in the Turkish city of Antalya in 1998.

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