Widow of Egyptian Shooting Victim Dies After Years of Suffering

Mor Shamli, 35, widow of Alon Shamli who was murdered before her eyes in Egypt on October 8, 2023, died on Friday, becoming the fifth victim of the shooting attack. She passed away after more than three years of profound suffering.

The shooting incident occurred in Alexandria one day after the Hamas massacre, as Israel was still grappling with the scale of the atrocities. An Egyptian police officer opened fire on a group of Israeli tourists near Pompey's Pillar, a Roman victory column and a famous tourist site in Egypt's second-largest city.

Alon Shamli and Amnon Bezalel were killed instantly. Hagai Ephrat, who was wounded in the attack, died about ten days later. The Egyptian tour guide Sayed Kamal Al-Hawalka was also killed in the incident. Alon Shamli, 34, was a coach for Hapoel Tel Aviv's youth soccer team and a sports teacher. Amnon Bezalel, 64, was a long-serving and respected police officer in Israel. Hagai Ephrat, 83, had a past as a soccer player and manager.

Mor Shamli had spoken about her immense pain, stating in a Knesset committee meeting in July of the previous year, "Five times I swallowed 170 pills to join my husband. I didn't attend his funeral because I was in the hospital, sedated and ventilated, tied hand and foot, with tubes in my nose and throat, because they brought me back to life." She expressed frustration that the shooter had not been brought to justice, saying, "The murderer who was caught that day has still not been punished. At first, I was told he was awaiting sentencing, now I am told his trial will only be in three months. It really feels like they are making a mockery of us."

In January of this year, Mor announced on Instagram her intention to end her life through medical assistance in Switzerland, leading to false rumors that she had already passed away. She described her pain as unbearable and her existence as "living but not really dead, existing as if floating above life." Her parents, Ilan and Shoshi Cohen, stated that Mor was "murdered along with Alon in Egypt, she continued to live but was unable to bear the pain and loss of her husband Alon. She had no will to live. Simply alive-dead, until the day she was no longer with us."

Reports in the Egyptian media suggested the shooter was Mohamed Abdel Majeed, but he has not officially been named and has yet to stand trial. The article notes that diplomatic relations between Israel and Egypt have significantly deteriorated since the October 7th massacre, with no Israeli ambassador in Egypt and President Sisi refusing to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The article also mentions other incidents, including the disappearance of three Israelis in Sharm El Sheikh and a deadly attack on the Israel-Egypt border in June 2023 by an Egyptian security force member who killed three Israeli soldiers before being killed himself.