Alexandra Paul Najjar

Alexandra was the only daughter of Paul and Tracy Najjar. Lexou, as she was called, was born in Beirut, and grew up in its streets and neighborhoods, when her family decided to relocate the business they launched in Qatar, and settle in Lebanon.

Alexandra went to Claire Maassab Nusery, she made so many little loving friends that she kept in contact with even outside the daycare. She was also in touch with her family’s friends through video call and social media applications. Alexandra was beautifully sociable, she would spread joy and love wherever she was.

She was going through a Disney phase, and she was so fond of Disney princesses, always dressing up as Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. She would call her grandparents to ask them to reprimand the evil witch in the story, for her bad behavior.

Little Lexou had fun carrying the torch of the Revolution, a few months short of her 3 years birthday. She was a happy beautiful child, her smile never left her face. Despite her young age, she dreamed of a better Lebanon, she called for her rights as a Lebanese citizen, and marched alongside people from different religious and political backgrounds. Alexandra was the star of Downtown Beirut's Martyrs’ Square.

Lexou celebrated her third birthday in January, and spent the last seven months in confinement due to the covid-19 related restrictions in Lebanon… On that awful Tuesday afternoon, she was home, playing, when suddenly a huge blast was heard and sent shock waves through the city of Beirut. Alexandra hit her head and passed out on the ground. Her mother was also wounded, but she tried to protect her with her own body. Lexou’s dad took her in his arms, and walked with his wife Tracy to a nearby hospital –Hospital Wardieh–, but it was a wreck, as was the Red Cross center. They finally found a man, on a motorcycle, who evacuated Paul and an agonizing Alexandra to Saint George Hospital, and from there to Hotel Dieu Hospital, where she entered in an induced coma in hope to save her.

Alexandra, the “Star of the Revolution”, who was protesting with her parents a few months back for a better Lebanon, was one of the explosion’s youngest victims. She was ripped off her childhood. Her tiny body could not sustain the enormity of the pain inflicted on her by the criminal elite that should have spared Beirut such a disaster.

Soon after her passing, two and a half days after the blast, Alexandra became the human face of this unbelievable tragedy. She became the “Leader of the Revolution”. We can still hear her say: “I, Alexandra Najjar, fight for justice, and protest for peace… I want my people to be free from oppression and injustice, but you committed a horrid crime, intently killing your people. I demand you protect children in my country and I fight for the rights of every Lebanese citizen. But will anybody listen?!”