Egypt’s famed military correspondent Konaisy dies at 80

Cairo: Veteran Egyptian radio host and famed military correspondent Hamdi Al Konaisy had died in a Cairo hospital, local media reported. He was 80.

Earlier this month, President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi ordered Al Konaisy, an ex-head of the Egyptian state radio, be transferred to a military hospital in the Cairo quarter of Maadi after suffering an unspecified health problem.

Joining the Egyptian radio in 1963 as a news anchor, Al Konaisy made a big name as a military correspondent due to his coverage of Egypt’s 1973 war with Israel. He presented several famous programmes on the radio during that war including “The Voice of the Battle” and “A Diary of a Military Correspondent”.

He was appointed head of the Egyptian radio service in October 1997 until 2001. He also worked as a media attaché in Britain and India.

Al Konaisy is credited with inspiring the creation of a syndicate for media personnel in Egypt. He was the union’s first member when it was established in 2016.

Al Konaisy was buried on Saturday after a funeral in the Cairo suburb of October 6.