Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot dead by an Israeli sniper in the West Bank earlier this month, was "rebellious against injustice," according to her father, Mehmet Suat Eygi.

"Regardless of language, religion, race, gender, political views or whether someone was right- or left-wing, she would offer help," Eygi told Anadolu Agency (AA) in the coastal city of Didim in the Aegean province of Aydın days after Eygi was laid to rest in her ancestral homeland.

"She would not let distance stop her from helping. She would go anywhere in the world. While children of her generation were learning the details of makeup, Ayse was pursuing human rights," he said.

He also acknowledged the Turkish state's support since the killing of his daughter by Israel.

"Fortunately, our state provided significant support, assistance and attention at every stage. Even after the funeral, we continue to see the state's support during the legal process."

Türkiye condemned the killing and announced it would conduct its own investigation into her death. Ankara will also seek international arrest warrants for Eygi’s killing, officials said.

In tears, Eygi's father recounted how his daughter told him about her decision to go to the West Bank.

"Ayse told me she was going to Palestine. I had months to try to dissuade her. We talked every day, I made every effort, but she wouldn't change her mind. I told her that if you're going, go in February or March."

"I couldn't convince her; she went anyway. I asked her to promise that she would return if there was even the slightest danger. She went to Jordan, Jerusalem and Ramallah."

"During a conversation in Seattle, I tried to convince her not to go, saying it was a very dangerous place. I told her she was going to a place where people know how to kill very well."

"She replied: I am going, Dad, people need to hear what's happening there."

"I warned her that a bullet could come, an accidental shot could kill her. She said: 'If dying serves a purpose, I'm willing, Dad.'"

Mehmet Suat Eygi said they received a letter addressed to his daughter, whose author is unknown, and said: "When I read it, I cried uncontrollably because there are girls who want to follow in Ayşenur's footsteps."

Invoking ICC

Before her death, Eygi had traveled to the West Bank to support Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, according to the International Solidarity Movement.

On Sept. 3, Eygi went to observe a protest in the town of Beita in Nablus to stand against the illegal Israeli settlements there.

The movement reported that on Sept. 6, Eygi was intentionally targeted and killed by an Israeli sniper standing on a nearby rooftop.

Eyewitnesses reported that when she was shot in the head by the sniper, Eygi was far from the protest area. She was taken to a Palestinian hospital but despite doctors' best efforts, she could not be saved.

Turkish diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem coordinated the transfer of her body from Tel Aviv to Baku, Azerbaijan before her final journey to Türkiye.

Turkish authorities received Eygi's body on Friday and transported it to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institution for an autopsy, which found that a bullet entered through her lower ear area.

Thousands of people joined the funeral ceremony for Eygi on Saturday, including politicians from the ruling party and opposition parties in a rare show of solidarity for the Palestinian cause Eygi died for. A portrait of her wearing her graduation gown was propped against the coffin as people paid their respects.

Also on Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the young activist's father and pledged that they would file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on her killing by Israel.

"The Palestinian leadership was engaged with the U.S. and Turkish authorities to ensure conducting a fair investigation into her killing and that work was underway to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the crime of her assassination," he said. Abbas announced his decision "to bestow upon her the Medal of the Star of Jerusalem in recognition of her dearly sacrifice for the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and independence and invited her parents and family to visit Palestine."

Dangers of going to Palestine

A friend of Eygi, who met her at the University of Washington, said that she warned Eygi about the dangers of going to Palestine.

"I warned her, with great respect for her activism and idealism, that 'Ayse, you know this is very serious,' and she went (to the region) knowing that. Eygi said, 'I know, but if I die, I die,'" Büşra Demirkol told reporters after visiting Eygi's family home in Didim to offer her condolences.

"It was an honor to know her ... She wanted to go, and she was considering which organization to go with but had not made a final decision," Demirkol added.

When Demirkol was in Istanbul, Eygi called her to say she had decided.

Demirkol said that Eygi was very active in anti-Israel protests at the University of Washington and attended every meeting.

"She was very vibrant and full of life. She was very sensitive to everything. As her father said, she cared deeply about nature, people, cultures and languages. Even when she was just 18, she had been hit three times with plastic bullets during an action to defend the rights of Indigenous people in the U.S.," she said.

Demirkol added that Eygi's last book was about the Algerian resistance.

Eygi, 26, had traveled to the region to support Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, according to reports from the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led group that is helping the Palestinian cause in the conflict with Israel.

Eygi, born in Antalya, Türkiye in 1998, moved to the U.S. with her family when she was an infant and graduated in June from the University of Washington, where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.

She arrived in the West Bank last Tuesday to volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) as part of an effort to support and safeguard Palestinian farmers.

As coordinated by Türkiye's Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate General in Jerusalem, Eygi's body was transported from Tel Aviv to Baku, Azerbaijan and then to Istanbul and Izmir, where it was received with ceremonies.

After forensic procedures in Izmir but with some autopsy procedures ongoing, Eygi's body was taken to Didim.

Eygi was a human rights activist and a volunteer with ISM, which supports Palestinians with peaceful and civilian methods against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.