Ali Ismail Shahata

Ali was born in Egypt, in a family of three sons and two daughters. He grew up in a religious environment, and his father was a renowned Islamic Sheikh and religion teacher.

Ali, the eldest of his siblings, was the family's main provider. He worked in Jordan for eleven years, then moved to Lebanon around twelve years ago to work at a gas station in Mar Mikhael in Beirut.

45-year old Ali was married and had three children; he spent most of his life away from his family and home country, trying to make ends meet to give his loved ones a life in dignity.

On August 4, his family learned about the explosion from social media, but it never occurred to them that Ali could be a victim of the blast. Yet, they called his Egyptian friends in Lebanon, some told them he was wounded, and others withheld any information pertaining to Ali's fate, in consideration of his family's feelings. Ali had spoken to his family one last time a few days earlier to wish them well on Eid al Adha, he also checked on his wife and kids.

Ali was religious and God-fearing. He was decent and honest, a real angel as described by those closest to him. He never hurt anyone, a peaceful person that always had something nice to say, no matter what.

His neighbour and friend, Fayez, only learned about his passing when he received his death certificate in a sealed envelope. He immediately went to the morgue where his friend's dead body was kept.  Ali hit his head, which led to his death during his shift at the gas station.

Ali was one of three Egyptian victims of the Beirut blast. Sadly, though, they were all from the same town, Sammanoud in Gharbia Governorate in Egypt. As soon as the news spread in their hometown, mourning was all over the city, and a huge funeral was organized for the three beautiful people that lost their lives, trying to provide a better life for their families.