TEHRAN- Salah al-Zawawi, a former Palestinian ambassador to Iran, died at the age of 85 in a hospital in Tehran on Monday.

Al-Zawawi passed away due to sickness, the Palestinian embassy said.

The embassy is scheduled to make announcement regarding the funeral service.

Early in January 2022, al-Zawawi retired as ambassador to Iran, abdicating four decades of his diplomatic mission. 

Al-Zawawi was the second Palestinian ambassador to Tehran following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. He was one of the founding members of the Fatah political party.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian delivered a message of condolence over his death.

Zawawi’s daughter, Salam al-Zawawi, who took over as Palestinian ambassador to Iran in 2022, received particular condolences from Iran’s top diplomat. 

The foreign minister expressed sympathy over his passing and asked God to grant him eternal peace.