Egyptian Writer and Journalist Abdel Fattah Ali Dies Aged 53

World 04:00 PM - 2026-09-03

President Mam Jalal and Abdel Fattah Ali.

On Thursday, September 3, 2026, Egyptian writer and journalist Abdel Fattah Ali, a prominent figure and staunch friend of the Kurdish people, President Mam Jalal and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), passed away in Cairo at the age of 53 following a long illness.

Born in 1973, Ali was an Egyptian writer and academic. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Islamic and Oriental Studies from Cairo University and began his media career in 1994.

Ali was a member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate and founded the Cairo Centre for Kurdish Studies in 2013, serving as its head. He also served as director of Nefertiti Publishing House for Studies and Translation, which focuses primarily on documenting and strengthening cultural ties between the Egyptian and Kurdish peoples, as well as publishing the intellectual, literary and creative works of Kurdish authors.

His articles and analyses appeared in numerous Arabic and Kurdish newspapers and websites, including PUKMEDIA, Al-Musawwar, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi and Kurdistan Nwe, among others. His published works include Jalal Talabani: An Egyptian Perspective and A Journalistic Chronicle in the Land of the Sun.

In 2013, Ali received the Osman Sabri Award for Friendship Between Peoples in recognition of his role and positions in support of the Kurdish people.

In 2015, he received the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate Award for a series of field reports covering the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Ali participated in numerous international conferences and forums focusing on Kurdish affairs, including:

•An international conference on the Kurdish issue held at the European Parliament in Belgium in 2016.

•An international forum in 2018 addressing ethnic cleansing and demographic change in Afrin.

•Intellectual activities and seminars at the Erbil International Book Fair in 2017 and 2019.

•Serving as a guest of honour at the Second Book Fair in Western Kurdistan in 2018.

Throughout his career, Ali maintained close relationships with Kurdish writers and intellectuals, as well as with most Kurdish political forces in Southern, Western and Eastern Kurdistan.

He also made field visits to front lines in the fight against ISIS in Southern and Western Kurdistan.


PUKMEDIA