Human Sea Bridge Pays Tribute to Mr Diab Al-Louh
As Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Egypt, Mr Diab Al-Louh personally supported the steps that enabled the Al Rayyes family to reach Cairo.
Pont de Mer Humanitaire learned with deep sadness of the death of Mr Diab Al-Louh, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Human Sea Bridge wishes to honour a diplomat whose attention, availability and intervention made a practical difference in the Al Rayyes family’s journey.
Mr Al-Louh died in Cairo on 9 August 2026. He is remembered as a man committed to Palestine and its people. For our organisation, this tribute is also rooted in a direct experience: a humanitarian case was received, understood and followed at a moment when a family needed an institution to turn attention into practical action.
A meeting centred on a human emergency
On 10 March 2026, in Cairo, Jérôme Tinard personally presented Mr Al-Louh with the Al Rayyes family case file. It documented the medical and humanitarian situation of Arafat Al Rayyes, seriously injured in Gaza, and the family’s prolonged separation.
The photograph taken that day at the Ambassador’s request is more than a protocol record. It captures the moment when an individual situation, pursued with determination over many months, was heard at the highest level of Palestinian representation in Egypt.
From North Sinai to Cairo: the final stage of a reunion
On 4 June 2026, Arafat, Sanaa and Mohammed Al Rayyes were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt in an operation coordinated by the World Health Organization. Leaving Gaza was a major step, but they remained in North Sinai, still separated from Yaser, who was living as a refugee in France and had travelled to Cairo to welcome them.
On 11 June, Mr Al-Louh again received Jérôme Tinard, accompanied by his family and Yaser Al Rayyes. After hearing the situation, he instructed his teams to begin the steps required to help the family reach the Egyptian capital.
Six days later, on 17 June, Arafat, Sanaa and Mohammed reached Cairo. After a long separation and two years marked by war, injury, waiting and uncertainty, Yaser could finally embrace his family.
Case file presented
The Al Rayyes family’s situation was formally presented to Mr Diab Al-Louh.
Evacuation from Gaza
The family entered Egypt through an operation coordinated by the WHO.
Intervention in Cairo
Embassy teams were instructed to help facilitate the transfer.
Reunion
The family reached Cairo and was reunited with Yaser.
When an institutional decision has a human effect
Mr Al-Louh’s intervention should not be confused with the initial evacuation from Gaza, which was conducted through the WHO-coordinated mechanism. It nevertheless helped facilitate a final indispensable stage: enabling a family already in Egypt to leave North Sinai and reach Cairo.
Behind the procedures, authorisations and chains of decision was a separated family. Mr Diab Al-Louh chose to see that human reality and mobilise his institution.
A founding experience for Human Sea Bridge
The Al Rayyes case is inseparable from the creation and development of Pont de Mer Humanitaire. It showed that a complex humanitarian situation is not unlocked by one isolated action, but by the quality of the case file, continuity of follow-up, medical coordination, institutional relays and trust built with each counterpart.
In this story, Mr Al-Louh embodied what the organisation seeks from its partners: attentive listening, a clear decision and the ability to move a human pathway forward. His intervention strengthened our conviction that a bridge can be built between a family facing an emergency and institutions able to open a route.
In his memory
Pont de Mer Humanitaire will remember a man who, beyond his office, took the time to hear a story, understand its urgency and act.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, the teams 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 WAFA announcement.