Who was Turkish-American activist Eygi, the Rachel Corrie of Turkiye?

Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, drawing a tragic parallel to Rachel Corrie – an American activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting in Gaza in 2003.

Eygi was shot by an Israeli sniper during a protest organized by Palestinian farmers near Beita, Nablus.

Despite being rushed to the hospital, she could not be saved.

A daughter of a middle-income family from Türkiye’s Aydin, Eygi studied Psychology at the University of Washington, where she also pursued a minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures.

On her LinkedIn profile, Eygi highlighted her achievements and aspirations, emphasizing her strong foundation in mentoring, behavioral therapy and marketing, along with a deep commitment to community service.

She described her professional experiences, which include mentoring students for academic success, applying Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques to support children with autism, and developing marketing strategies in the service industry.

Her volunteer work spans both local and international efforts, from event coordination to providing rehabilitation.

As an undergraduate, she worked as a peer mentor and produced content for the “Visit Seattle” webpage. In Seattle, she was actively involved with the anti-racist and anti-Trump group “Seattle Socialist Alternative.”

Ezgi’s fight against settlement expansion in West Bank

Born in Antalya in 1998, Eygi became an activist after relocating to the U.S. with her family.

Following her graduation from the University of Washington in June, she traveled to the West Bank and was killed by Israeli forces. Eygi, like Corrie, was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and participated in a protest against settlement expansion.

Eygi was actively involved in the “Faz3a” campaign, which aims to provide international civilian protection against Israeli violence. She is the third ISM volunteer to be killed by Israeli forces.

The ISM, founded in 2001, promotes a strategy of peaceful resistance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and actively recruits international volunteers to support its efforts.

Who was Rachel Corrie?

On March 16, 2003, Corrie, a 23-year-old American activist, was killed by Israeli forces while protesting the demolition of homes in Gaza’s Rafah neighborhood.

Attempting to prevent the destruction of the Nasrallah family home, Corrie stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer.

Despite her presence and the pleas of fellow activists, the bulldozer continued moving, running over and crushing Corrie leading to her tragic demise.

Her death, witnessed by the Nasrallah family’s children, became a powerful and tragic symbol of the Gaza conflict.