Malak Al-Ramlawi
Age 10
10-year-old Malak loved her best friend in the world. They went to school together every day, shared their pocket money, split their candy. Every year, their families went to the grandmother’s house to pick olives. On October 6, 2023—the last time her best friend ever saw her—they spent that day together picking olives, laughing and playing until the sunset.
The next day, October 7, 2023, men from Hamas launched savage attacks against innocent families in southern Israel, and hours later, men from the Israeli military launched a massive bombardment of innocent families in Gaza. Malak’s family was ordered to evacuate. They moved to Burj Al-Taj on Al-Jalaa Street, believing they would be safe in such a large residential building.
Around 4:00 PM on October 25, 2023, one of the Israeli men launched a missile at the building. The explosion tore through every floor, collapsing the structure on top of everyone. At least 101 people were confirmed dead, including at least 44 innocent children. Malak was crushed. Her mother Abeer, her father Ahmed, her grandparents, her uncles, her aunts, her cousins, and her older and younger sisters Rana (13) and Rital (5)—at least 19 members of the Ramlawi family—were all murdered.
Her once-younger close friend, who is now 11, overheard her parents whispering afterwards about the terror and confronted them: “I’m not a little girl anymore. The war has made me grow up. Please don’t lie to me.” She visited Malak’s symbolic grave every day during the ceasefire in early 2025. Still trapped in Gaza, she’s given up hope of ever leaving. She wants to die to join Malak, wherever her friend is.
The votes that paid for the weapons
House Bill, H.R. 6126 (House): Emergency supplemental appropriations for Israel