GREENSBORO, N.C. — Only one day before his 30th birthday, Hassan Zuaiter was killed in an airstrike in Gaza.
His aunt, Greensboro City Councilwoman, Marikay Abuzuaiter, said it's been extremely tough on her family.
She describes her nephew as a bright, well-educated, young man.
Abuzuaiter said her nephew was a fitness instructor with the United Nations and a well-known international volleyball player. She says it's not about what he's accomplished in his life that's making this hard, it's about who he's leaving behind.
"Hassan had just gotten married last year and that was their brand new baby, the love of his life, you could tell in that picture, that's his Selma," Abuzuaiter said.
Not only is this family mourning the loss of Zuaiter, but they've also been left without a home, a home that's been part of the family's history since the 1940s.
This makes everything harder for Abuzuaiter as she was set to visit her nephew next month.
"They were so excited because this December, I was supposed to go. You know, they'd been fixing up the house and working and Hassan and my son were talking to each other all the time, remaking those connections," Abuzuaiter said.
A family reunion that likely won't happen now but when it does sometime in the future, there will be, an empty seat, for Hassan Zuaiter.