REMEMBRANCE · INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS
As Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Egypt, Mr Diab Al-Louh had personally supported the steps that enabled the Al Rayyes family to reach Cairo.
10 March 2026, Cairo — Presentation of the Al Rayyes family’s case file to Mr Diab Al-Louh, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Egypt.
Human Sea Bridge was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr Diab Al-Louh, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Our organisation wishes to honour the memory of a diplomat whose attentiveness, availability and intervention made a real difference to the Al Rayyes family’s journey.
Mr Diab Al-Louh died in Cairo on 9 August 2026. He will be remembered as a man committed to the service of Palestine and its people. For Human Sea Bridge, this tribute is also rooted in first-hand experience: a humanitarian case file that was received, understood and followed up at the very moment a family needed an institution to turn the attention paid to its situation into concrete action.
A meeting centred on a human emergency
On 10 March 2026, in Cairo, Jérôme Tinard personally handed Mr Diab Al-Louh the Al Rayyes family’s case file. The file documented the medical and humanitarian situation of Arafat Al Rayyes, who had been seriously injured in Gaza, as well as the prolonged separation of his family.
The photograph taken that day, at the Ambassador’s request, is more than a ceremonial keepsake. It bears witness to a moment when an individual situation, pursued steadfastly over several months, was given an institutional hearing at the highest level of Palestinian representation in Egypt.
From North Sinai to Cairo: the final stage of reunification
On 4 June 2026, Arafat, Sanaa and Mohammed Al Rayyes were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt as part of an operation coordinated by the World Health Organization. Leaving Gaza was a major step, but the family then remained in North Sinai, still separated from Yaser Al Rayyes, a refugee in France, who was in Cairo to welcome them.
On 11 June, Mr Diab Al-Louh once again received Jérôme Tinard, accompanied by his family and Yaser Al Rayyes. Having been briefed on the situation, he immediately instructed his staff to initiate the necessary procedures to enable the family to reach the Egyptian capital.
Six days later, on 17 June, Arafat, Sanaa and Mohammed arrived in Cairo. After a long separation and two years marked by war, injury, waiting and uncertainty, Yaser was at last reunited with his family.
10 March — Case file handed over. Presentation of the Al Rayyes family’s situation to Mr Diab Al-Louh.
4 June — Evacuation from Gaza. Entry into Egypt as part of an operation coordinated by the WHO.
11 June — Intervention in Cairo. Embassy staff instructed to facilitate the transfer.
17 June — Reunion. Arrival of the family in Cairo and reunification with Yaser.
When an institutional decision has a human impact
Mr Diab Al-Louh’s intervention should not be confused with the initial evacuation from Gaza, which was carried out within the WHO-coordinated mechanism. It nevertheless helped to facilitate one final, essential step: enabling the family, already in Egypt, to leave North Sinai and reach Cairo.
Behind the procedures, the authorisations and the chains of decision-making, there was a separated family. Mr Diab Al-Louh chose to see that human reality and to mobilise his institution.
A founding story for Human Sea Bridge
The Al Rayyes case is inseparable from the birth and structuring of Human Sea Bridge. It showed that a complex humanitarian situation is not resolved by a single, isolated action, but through the quality of the case file, continuity of follow-up, medical coordination, institutional channels and the trust built with each counterpart.
In this story, Mr Diab Al-Louh embodied what our organisation looks for in its partners: attentive listening, a clear decision and the ability to move a human pathway forward in practical terms. His intervention strengthened our conviction that a bridge can be built between a family facing an emergency and the institutions able to open a way through.
IN HIS MEMORY
Human Sea Bridge will remember a man who, beyond his official role, took the time to hear a story, grasp its urgency and act.
We extend our sincerest condolences to his family, his loved ones, the staff of the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Egypt and the Palestinian people.
In memory of Mr Diab Al-Louh.
Mr Diab Al-Louh’s death was announced on 9 August 2026 by the Palestinian Presidency. Read the official announcement from the WAFA news agency.
