Siwar Ashour was born amidst conflict and deprivation, knowing little else but struggle. Now, as a six-month-old, her ailing body reflects the acute hunger affecting Gaza, as highlighted on the BBC. When she was born on November 20 of last year, she weighed just 2.5 kg.
From the very start, Siwar faced severe esophageal issues, which made breastfeeding challenging, forcing her to rely on a specialized formula that is hardly sufficient.
The family’s home in Arnusirat, located along the Gaza Strip, was destroyed early in the ongoing war that escalated in October 2023. This conflict, triggered by Hamas, has led to the deaths of over 1,200 people in Israel and more than 52,000 in Gaza. They initially lived in tents but soon found access to food and water was nearly impossible, compounded by constant bombardments.
After attempting to return to Al Nusirat to stay with Siwar’s grandparents, they found that their home had also been bombed. The only remaining part of the building—a single room—was shared with 11 others. It was here that Siwar came into the world.
“I was always so tired. There was no privacy, no rest,” recalled Najwa Alam, Siwar’s 23-year-old mother. “Food and proper nutrition were nonexistent. When she was born, she wasn’t like other babies.”
“She was beautiful, although weak,” Najwa noted. “But now she’s alarmingly thin. A baby her age should weigh more than 6 kg, not just 2–4 kg.”
Last month, Najwa learned she is pregnant with her second child, yet she is haunted by the possibility of losing Siwar before the baby arrives. She moved to Khan Yunis to be closer to her mother, yet has spent much of the last few months in the hospital with her delicate daughter.
Najwa’s husband, Saleh, is blind and had to remain behind in Al Nusirat. The ongoing bombings have forced the family, like many in Gaza, to relocate numerous times, tearing them apart.
“Siwar’s father is blind but he loves to play with her. He visited us only once in the hospital because he can’t go anywhere without assistance,” Najwa shared. “He is even more terrified for her than I am. He’s deeply attached.”
Due to the lack of income, their family has turned to charitable kitchens for food and humanitarian aid. However, as the blockade continues into its 70th day, the assistance is dwindling. Philip Lazarini, the head of the UN Relief Agency (UNRWA), stated: “The artificial and politically motivated starvation in Gaza is an absolute act of cruelty.”
Najwa and her mother have less than one bag of flour left along with a few cans. “If this runs out, we won’t be able to buy anything due to the soaring prices,” she said. More crucially, the specialized formula Siwar relies on is also scarce.
“I’m malnourished myself, yet I try to breastfeed Siwar, but she just cries and refuses,” Najwa explained. “So I have to depend on formula even more. During the rare times I could breastfeed, a can of formula would last a month.”
Most of March was spent in a hospital in Deial Al Bala, where they found milk formula that worked. At one point, Siwar weighed 4 kg.
“I saw her starting to smile and play, which gave me hope for her recovery,” Najwa said.
However, upon discharge, that brief hope faded as Siwar began losing weight again. Now, they are at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
“The doctors do all they can, but she struggles with the treatments,” Najwa reported. “The conditions in the hospital are dire, with six patients per room. There’s suffering everywhere, and many children are in worse condition than Siwar.”
“Watching my daughter suffer every day robs me of sleep,” Najwa said. “I’m constantly anxious, and some days it overwhelms me—I just cry. I’m terrified I might lose her. The world hasn’t opened any routes to allow in milk, food, or medicine.”
Dr. Ahmed Al-Farah, who oversees the Children and Obstetrics Building at Nasser Medical Complex, noted they’re seeing five to ten new malnutrition cases daily.
“The levels of malnutrition we’re observing are alarming and painfully evident in children,” Farah said. “We have nothing to offer them. They require protein, but there’s none available. We can try to provide some milk, maybe powdered milk, but that’s all.”
“Also, severe overcrowding in hospitals increases the risk of spreading illnesses among children,” he added.
Nasser Complex has enough fuel to keep the generators running for only another 48 hours. They’ve already had to reduce power to administrative areas to prolong supply, but will soon have to cut off power in patient wards.
“We feel utterly powerless against their needs. We can’t provide the proper food, supplements, or medications,” the doctor lamented. “I studied malnutrition in textbooks, thinking it was purely theoretical. But now, we’re seeing it firsthand in Gaza.”
“I urge the world to recognize us as humans. We were created just like everyone else.”
