Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Interior Ministry arranged the return of the body of an Israeli-Arab teen killed in a terrorist attack in an Istanbul nightclub.

Lian Zaher Nasser, 19, from the Arab city of Tira, was one of 39 killed in the attack, which occurred at around 1 a.m. Saturday at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul’s Ortakoy neighborhood.

Nasser’s family asked the Tira municipality for help in repatriating the body, since there was no travel insurance to help with the expense.  The municipality turned to the government, which made the arrangements.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The ZAKA Israeli search-and-rescue organization, which has worked around the world, coordinated the repatriation including logistics, transportation and financial, The Times of Israel reported.

The body was expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning.

Because the attack at the Istanbul club did not target Israeli citizens, the Defense Ministry is not expected not to recognize Nasser or her friend who was injured in the attack as terror victims, Ynet reported. Two other Israeli women also from Tira were at the nightclub during the attack.

The Islamic State terror group on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement written in Arabic and Turkish. It warned of other attacks on Turkey to come. The attacker is still on the loose.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount