The Starving Face of Gaza: Six-Month-Old Siwar Becomes Symbol of War-Induced Famine
A Heartbreaking Guardian Report Reveals the Story of Suwar Ashour, Born into War and Starvation, as Gaza’s Children Face a Man-Made Humanitarian Catastrophe.
Watan-The Guardian published a report by Malak Tantoush and Julian Borger highlighting a harrowing image from Gaza that shocked the world—a close-up of Siwar Ashour, a six-month-old girl who was born during the war and has never known peace. Her frail frame has come to represent Gaza’s deliberate starvation.
When her photo was shared this week by the BBC, it caused a global stir. Suwar was born on November 20, 2023, weighing just 2.5 kg. Since birth, she has suffered from esophageal issues that made breastfeeding nearly impossible, forcing reliance on baby formula—rarely available in the besieged enclave.
Her parents’ home in Al-Nuseirat was destroyed in the early days of the war in October 2023. The family lived in a tent under constant bombardment with limited access to food and water. They later moved into Siwar’s grandparents’ partially destroyed house—eleven people crammed into a single remaining room, where Siwar was born.
Her 23-year-old mother, Najwa A’ram, recalled:“I was exhausted all the time. There was no privacy or rest. When Siwar was born, she was already weak. She was beautiful despite the signs of hunger on her face. But now she’s alarmingly thin. At six months, she should weigh 6 kg—but she’s only 2 kg.”
A Mother’s Despair: Siwar’s Life Hangs in the Balance Amid Gaza’s Man-Made Famine
Najwa said her husband, though blind, formed a deep bond with Siwar and visited her at the hospital with help:
“He’s more scared for her than I am. He’s emotionally attached to her in ways I can’t explain.”
The family survives on humanitarian aid, which is increasingly scarce under Israel’s siege. UNRWA Director Philippe Lazzarini stated this week:“The Gaza famine, man-made and politically driven, is the purest form of cruelty.”
Najwa and her mother now live on a bag of flour and a few cans of food:“When that runs out, we have no money to buy anything—not even Siwar’s baby formula. I’m malnourished myself, and though I try to breastfeed her, she rejects me and cries constantly. A formula can that used to last a month now lasts only a week.”
الرضيعة سوار عاشور 5 شهور
وُلدت تحت القـ ـصف، محرومة من الحليب، من الدواء.
أمها جائعة، وأبوها كفيف، والحصار يخنق ما تبقّى من أنفاسها. سوار تحتضر ببطء أمام أعين العالمأنقذوا ما تبقى من عْزة pic.twitter.com/VNg6rfqG0w
— محمد سعد الدين 🇵🇸 (@MhmmedSd) May 8, 2025
From Hope to Despair: Siwar’s Health Deteriorates as Gaza Hospitals Collapse Under Siege
“She started smiling and playing—it gave me hope.”
But after leaving the hospital, Siwar began losing weight again. She’s now in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“The doctors are doing all they can, but she can’t digest the formula they give her. The hospital is overcrowded, six patients per room. Everywhere you look, there’s suffering. Some children are worse off than Siwar.”
Najwa says watching her daughter’s decline keeps her up at night:“Can’t the world open the crossings to let in milk, food, medicine? All I want is for my daughter to live like other children.”
Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Medical Complex, said the hospital sees 5 to 10 cases of acute malnutrition daily:“We’re seeing frightening signs of starvation in children. We have almost nothing to offer—some powdered milk, but no proteins or nutrients. The hospital is overwhelmed, and the lack of fuel threatens to cut electricity, worsening conditions.”
He added:“I studied malnutrition in medical school and thought it would remain theoretical. But the textbooks have come to life here in Gaza. I call on the world to see us as human—we are people too.”
