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Family of UW grad killed in West Bank fighting for justice 1 year later
One year after Israeli forces shot and killed a University of Washington graduate in the West Bank, her family says they're still fighting for answers.
SEATTLE - One year after Israeli forces shot and killed a University of Washington graduate in the West Bank, her family says they're still fighting for answers.
"In the beginning, the first few days felt like weeks, and the first weeks felt like months, and time just really dragged on. But now that we're at the one year mark, I mean, I can't believe how quickly time has flown by," said Ozden Bennett, sister of Ayesnur Eygi.
Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi ((International Solidarity Movement))
The backstory:
Eygi was at a protest in the West Bank against an illegal Israeli settlement on Sep. 6, 2024. Her family says she was there as an international observer to bare witness and protect the rights of Palestinians who were protesting.
"She believed in that justice, so much that she traveled to the West Bank and put her body on the line and she was killed for it, essentially," Bennett told FOX 13.
Bennett says she's almost in disbelief that even one year into her sister's killing, they're still at the exact same point they were at the day she was fatally shot.
"It's really discouraging and disheartening," Bennett said. "Knowing that, essentially, our push for justice and accountability rests on a few hands who so far have been unwilling to help our pursuit of justice and accountability for my sister."
What's next:
They're calling for a U.S.-led investigation into what happened. This weekend, Ozden is in Washington D.C. to continue that call.
"Our trip to D.C. this time is really special, because we're being joined by other families who are U.S. citizens, who have either also lost their loved ones. I don't want to say the word loss, whose loved ones were killed by the Israeli military, just like our family has experienced," she said.
Until they get the justice they've been fighting for, Ayesnur's family honors her by remembering her for the person she was. And for Ozden, it's the little things she says she took for granted that she misses the most.
"I miss her laugh the most I think," she said. "And I'm really grateful that I can still very much hear it in my head, and I miss being able to just pick up the phone and call her when something reminds me of her."
This past Saturday marked one year since Ayesnur was killed. Her husband was in Turkey, where she is buried to commemorate the day. There were also events and a park, including a 10-foot statue that was build to honor the 26-year-old.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.