Gaza – Aamer Saeed al-Ramlawi, 45, was the father of five children, two daughters and three sons. He was loved by many, including his cousin and best friend, 33-year-old Hassan Youssef al-Ramlawi.
Aamer also loved grilling and cooking, especially on the beach, which fit with his obsession with seafood, especially crab.
“Because my wife is an excellent seafood cook, he always asked for an invitation for crab soup,” Hassan told Tel Aviv Tribune with a small smile.
“Before October 7, we spent most of our time together; going out every Thursday evening, having barbecues, playing cards and chatting every other day. It was lovely,” Hassan told Tel Aviv Tribune of life before the Gaza war broke out.
To bitter the phenomenon
“Aamer was full of life…his spirit was unmatched, full of happiness and love. He was still organizing outings despite the fact that entertainment in Gaza was limited before October 7 due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza,” Hassan said.
“He was the director of nursing at the al-Sorani clinic, and whenever someone called him for help, he would rush to them, even if we were hanging out together.
“He always had chocolate in his pockets for the kids and took tons of photos every time we went somewhere. His biggest fear was losing someone he loved, and he constantly prayed that everyone would stay safe.
On October 15, about a week after the Israeli attack on Gaza began, Hassan and his family decided to heed Israel’s veiled threats and move away from “planned operations” in Gaza City, where they lived.
“Aamer and his family refused to leave. I called him every day to see how he was doing. The idea that he might not answer one of my calls was terrifying since his area was under intensified attacks,” Hassan said, adding that the last time he saw Aamer was on day he left the north.
Shocking news
On October 25, Hassan was at his uncle’s house in Deir el-Balah, having arrived there during an arduous hike from Gaza City.
While searching online for news of what was happening in the rest of Gaza, he was stunned to see a photo of his cousin Doaa, 24, with a caption saying she had been pulled from the rubble after a Israeli raid. struck their house in the al-Taj 3 building in Gaza. Aamer lived in the same building
He showed the photo to everyone around him and they all agreed that it was Doaa, who had survived. Hassan started calling Aamer frantically, checking every possible online platform to see if there was any news about his cousin.
“I called with no answer. I could not accept or even imagine the idea that Aamer and his family had been killed. Those were moments of pure devastation,” he recalls sadly. “His nephews and nieces were injured, but there was no news of Aamer, that night nightmares tore my brain apart.”
Dangerous return journey to Gaza City
The next morning, Hassan decided to return to Gaza to find out what had happened to his cousin.
“There were no ground military operations at that time. It certainly put my life in danger, but I had to do it since he was literally my other half,” he said.
It took him about three hours to make the 20-minute journey to Gaza City from Deir el-Balah, but upon arrival he rushed to the building to find it completely flattened.
“Civil protection officers continued to remove bodies from the rubble. I saw half of a body, trapped between the columns of the destroyed walls of the building. I wondered if it was him.
“I went to al-Shifa hospital, where I found his brothers and asked them. They didn’t know if he had been killed – all they knew was that he was under the rubble.
Without any information, Hassan returned to Deir el-Balah, frustrated and afraid.
That evening, he received a call from another cousin who told him that Aamer had been killed.
“The moment he informed me of his murder, a tape of our shared memories started playing in my mind.
“I looked at myself in the mirror, my eyes full of tears, my body exhausted with a broken voice and a pale face without a shadow of a smile.
“He wasn’t just my cousin; he was my brother, my friend and my soul mate.
Amid his sadness over Aamer’s death, Hassan is also painfully aware that the places where he spent time with his cousin have also been destroyed.
“Israel did not even give me the opportunity to remember him by destroying these places. However, I will store our memories in a special box in my mind.