The body of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, arrived in Türkiye on Friday as Ankara seeks international arrest warrants against those responsible, and the family wants the United States to do the same.

Eygi’s body was flown from Tel Aviv to Baku, Azerbaijan and arrived in Istanbul early on Friday, where a brief ceremony was held at the airport.

Burial is likely to take place on Saturday in the Aegean coastal province of Aydın.

Eygi, who held Turkish and American citizenship, was killed last Friday during demonstrations against settlements in the West Bank. A witness who was there, Israeli protester Jonathan Pollak, said she posed no threat to Israeli forces and that the shooting came during a moment of calm, following clashes between stone-throwing protesters and Israeli troops firing tear gas and bullets.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced Thursday that Türkiye had launched its own investigation into her death days after the Israeli military said in a preliminary report that Eygi was likely shot "indirectly and unintentionally" by its soldiers.

Eygi’s father, Mehmet Suat Eygi, who is based in Seattle but spoke in western Türkiye, said he was very happy to learn that Türkiye had opened an investigation into what he called the "arbitrary murder" of his daughter.

"I hope that the American government does the same," he said.

He said his daughter was 10 months old when the family left Türkiye for the U.S. "She studied in the schools there, she grew up with freedoms there. She is a citizen of that country," he said. "I hope the American government will show the same sensitivity."

He spoke in the Aydın town of Didim, where Eygi used to come for vacations and spend time with family members. Eygi's grandfather's home and the street where the house is located were adorned with Turkish flags – an honor usually bestowed to Turkish soldiers killed in the conflict.

The Ankara chief prosecutor's office was leading the Turkish probe, Tunç said, adding that Türkiye would seek international arrest warrants for those responsible for her death. He also said Türkiye would present findings to a U.N. court overseeing a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa over the war in Gaza.

"We will take every judicial step for our martyred daughter, Ayşenur," Tunç said.

‘Deliberate targeting’

Mehmet Suat Eygi said his daughter was a "special person" who cared about nature and human rights and traveled to Brazil, Australia and Mexico to campaign for environmental and human rights issues.

Eygi, who attended Seattle schools and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology this year, was married and was financially comfortable, her father said.

"She could have enjoyed a comfortable life, but she pursued her ideals. She left everything and went to the hell of the Middle East. She was that idealistic," Eygi said.

Another relative, Ali Tikkin, told The Associated Press (AP) that Eygi's family believes Israeli soldiers deliberately targeted her.

"There was no error or accident," he said. "I think it was a message to the world."

Tikkin, who is married to Eygi's aunt, described the activist as a "free-spirited person" who began traveling the world on her own at an early age.

"Even at the age of 18 or 19, she went to different countries of the world on her own. First, she started traveling out of curiosity. Later, she took part in organizations run by the U.N.," he said. "She was sensitive to events happening around the world."

Autopsy report

A statement released by the Palestinian Ministry of Justice and signed by two forensic doctors said Eygi was brought to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, in the West Bank, after she was hit with a bullet fired by the Israeli army. The young woman had no signs of life as her heart was not beating, the statement said, adding that the bullet entered from behind the left ear, causing damage to the brain.

Medical staff tried for a sixth time to reactivate her heart with no luck and she was considered dead at 2:36 p.m. on Friday. The statement said the bullet damaged the brain and the skull and different shrapnel caused tears and bruises.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the Biden administration was aware of outside analyses saying that Ezgi Eygi was shot 20 minutes after the clashes ended, raising questions about the Israeli military’s role in her death.

"This awful, awful killing never should have happened," said Jean-Pierre, but declined to say whether the administration was satisfied by the initial investigation by the Israel Defense Forces.