Firas Dahwish

Firas was born on November 1, 1977, in Beirut. He grew up with his brother and two sisters, in Msaytbe.

Firas was married, he was the father of a little 3-year old girl, and he was the only provider for his mother and two sisters, after his father's passing.

Since the year 2000, he worked at Agial Art Gallery in Hamra. In 2016, he also started working for Saleh Barakat Gallery.

Firas became a member of Agial's family, he was professional, and devoted on the job. He was extremely friendly, and the news of his death shocked everyone who knew him in the gallery's neighborhood. They couldn't believe they won't be able to see him again.

On August 4, 2020, Firas left the gallery on his motorcycle, half an hour before the explosion. When he arrived to Bchara El-Khoury, the explosion hit the heart of Beirut, and four glass panels, and pieces from a metal fence, fell all over him.

At that moment, his family was calling him, but there was no network. They were anxious and worried, they went to his workplace, but it was closed. They soon received a call from one of his friends who happened to be in the area, and he told them he saw Firas lying on the ground.

His cousin Haytham rushed to the location with other family members, and they found him alive, but he couldn’t speak or move. It was obvious he was severely injured.

It was difficult for his family to find an empty ambulance that would take him to a nearby hospital. A little while later, they  evacuated him to Clemenceau Medical Center, and he received emergency first aid. He was suffering from a back fracture and a severe hemorrhage.

The doctor told them Firas will be paralyzed for life, and that he had multiple fractures in the chest, as well as injuries in the lungs and kidneys. His situation was pending on the possibility of doctors operating on him, but because of his critical medical situation, it was not possible at the time.

Unfortunately, and because of complications caused by internal and external bleeding, his organs began to fail. Firas passed away as a result to the horrific Beirut blast.