Gaza – Amer Saeed Al Ramrawi, 45, was the father of five children, two daughters and three sons. He was loved by many, especially his cousin and best friend Hassan Yousef Al Ramrawi, 33.
Armel also loved barbecue and cooking, especially on the beach, which matched his obsession with seafood, especially crab.
“My wife is a great seafood cook, so she always asked for invitations to crab soup,” Hassan told Al Jazeera with a bit of a laugh.
“Up until October 7th, we were spending most of our time together, hanging out every Thursday night, having barbecues, playing cards, and talking every other day.” It was very nice,” Hassan told Al Jazeera about life before the Gaza war broke out.
armor phenomenon
“Amer was full of life…his spirit was unparalleled, full of happiness and love. Entertainment in Gaza has been restricted since before October 7 due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Despite this, he was always planning to go out,” Hassan said.
“He was the director of nursing at Al Solani Clinic and if anyone asked him for help, he would come right away, even if we were playing together.
“He always kept chocolates in his pockets for the kids and took lots of pictures every time we went somewhere. His biggest fear was losing a loved one and everyone I was constantly praying that I would be safe.”
On October 15, about a week after Israel's attack on Gaza began, Hassan and his family moved away from the “planned operation” in Gaza City, where they lived, due to the veiled Israeli threat. I decided to do so.
“Amel and his family refused to leave their home. I called him every day to check on him. His area was under heavy attack, so he answered my call. The thought that he might not respond was terrifying,'' Hassan said, adding that the last time he saw Amer was on the day he left the north.
shocking news
On October 25, Hassan was at his uncle's house in Deir El Bala after a harrowing journey from Gaza City.
I was checking the news online to see what was happening in the rest of Gaza when I saw a photo of my cousin Doaa, 24, with the caption that she had been pulled out of the rubble after an Israeli attack. I was surprised to see it there. They attacked his home in the Al-Taj 3 building in Gaza.Armor lived in the same building.
He showed the photo to those around him and they all agreed that it was Doaa who survived. Hassan began frantically calling Aamer, checking every online platform he could to see if there was any news about his cousin.
“I called and there was no answer. I couldn't accept or even imagine the idea that Amel and his family had been killed. It was a moment of utter devastation,” he said. I remembered sadly. “His nieces and nephews were injured, but there was no news of Armel. Nightmares tore through my brain that night.”
Dangerous journey back to Gaza City
The next morning, Hassan decided to return to Gaza City to find out what happened to his cousin.
“There were no ground military operations going on at the time. It was certainly a risk to my life to do so, but I had to do it because he was literally my other half,” he said.
The 20-minute journey from Deir El Bala to Gaza City took about three hours, but as soon as we arrived, we rushed to the building, only to find it completely destroyed.
“Civil defense workers were still pulling the body out from under the rubble. I could see half his body wedged between the pillars of the destroyed building's wall. I wondered if it was him.
“I went to Al Shifa Hospital, found his brothers there and asked them. They didn't know if he had been killed. All they knew was that he was under the rubble. That was all.”
Having received no information, Hassan returned to Deir El Bala, frustrated and frightened.
That night, another cousin called and told him that Amell had been killed.
“The moment he informed me of his murder, the tapes of our memories started playing in my head.
“When I looked in the mirror, I saw tears in my eyes, a tired body, a broken voice, and a pale, unsmiling face.
“He wasn't just my cousin. He was my brother, my friend, and my soulmate.”
Although Hassan is saddened by Amel's death, he is keenly aware that the place where he spent time with his cousin has also been erased.
“Israel destroyed those places without even giving me a chance to remember him. Still, I keep the memories in a special box in my heart.”