A Fragile Journey: Baby Siwar Escapes Gaza for Urgent Medical Care

This touching story chronicles the emotional journey of six-month-old Siwar and her family, highlighting the overwhelming impact of war on innocent lives and the dire need for humanitarian aid.

A frail cry echoed through the air as six-month-old Siwar Ashour was carried from the evacuation bus, her fragile voice a beacon of resilience in the midst of chaos. Weighing only 3kg (6.6lb), Siwar is half the weight she should be at her age, a victim of malnutrition worsened by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Her mother, Najwa, 23, expressed a bittersweet relief upon crossing into Jordan, joyfully noting the peace that replaced the sounds of shelling: “It feels like there is a truce,” she said.

Accompanying Siwar were her father Saleh, who is blind, and her grandmother Reem. Saleh voiced his anxiety for his daughter’s health, emphasizing, “The first and last goal of this trip is Siwar. I want to make sure she is safe and cured.” As Siwar was gently carried onto Jordanian soil, Reem raised her fingers in a V sign, symbolizing hope amid despair. “I can’t believe I have arrived in Jordan… for the sake of Siwar,” she declared.

Back in April, when the BBC first reported on Siwar in Gaza, she was already showing signs of severe malnutrition, with her mother unable to breastfeed due to her own deteriorating health. Although some formula milk was eventually supplied through Jordanian aid, the dire blockade and the worsening military situation in Gaza made it painfully clear that Siwar's condition required immediate and extensive medical intervention.

In a collaborative effort announced in February by King Abdullah and U.S. President Donald Trump, Jordan opened its doors to 2000 critically ill children from Gaza for treatment. Since the program’s inception, 57 children have been evacuated, alongside their families, with Siwar among the recently transported group of sixteen.

As Siwar arrived in Jordan, she was cradled in her grandmother's embrace, her large eyes scanning the unfamiliar sights and sounds around her. After being welcomed at a facility where medical workers provided sustenance and care, the stark contrast between current conditions in Jordan and the chaos they fled became painfully evident. The exhaustion etched on the faces of parents and children told tales of trauma—each family echoed the shared experience of loss, fear, and separation wrought by war, further magnified by long hours of queuing for meager food supplies.

In the midst of their ordeal, Najwa, now pregnant, succumbed to fatigue, while Siwar remained alert in the safety of her grandmother's grasp. During the journey to Amman, the ambulance also carried other children needing urgent care. A four-year-old boy cried uncontrollably, fear written across his face, as the journey unfolded with its mix of hope and despair.

Upon reaching Amman, Siwar was gently transferred into the care of medical staff, where she would receive treatments that are utterly inaccessible in Gaza’s dire circumstances. As her family watched over her, they were finally allowed a moment's rest, freed from the immediate threats of violence that haunted their lives back home. In the following days, focused medical assessments and care awaited Siwar, presenting a critically needed opportunity for her recovery amidst the horrors of conflict.