(Files) Palestinian Delegate to the EU Leila Shahid gives a press conference on November 6, 2010, in Ajaccio, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. (Photo by Stephan Agostini / AFP)
Paris, France: Leila Shahid, the first woman diplomat representing Palestine abroad, died in southern France aged 76, her family said.
"She died today," her sister Zeina told AFP.
She did not provide further details.
"Leila Shahid, the iconic ambassador of Palestine, has left us. This is a huge loss for Palestine and for the world that believes in justice," Hala Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian representative in France, said on X.
Born in Lebanon in 1949, Shahid was the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) abroad, beginning her career in Ireland before also becoming representative in the Netherlands.
She served as representative in France and later as the representative at the European Union.
