RAMALLAH, Palestine 

The Palestinian groups on Monday said Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi "will remain an icon" for the Palestinian struggle at 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar