The Israeli-led conflict in Gaza has left 2.1 million people, including Siwar Ashour, suffering from hunger, dying, and the loss of their lives. A local cameraman, who is not named for his safety, has been filming for the BBC, witnessing the anguished cries of survivors in hospital courtyards.
This morning he is setting out to find Siwar Ashour, a five-month-old girl whose emaciated frame and exhausted cry at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis affected him so much when he was filming there that he wrote to news agencies about her condition.
Siwar, a five-month-old girl, weighed just over 2kg (4lb 6oz) and needed a special milk formula due to an allergic reaction. Under the conditions of war and an Israeli blockade on aid arrivals, there is a severe shortage of the formula she needs.
Siwar’s mother Najwa and grandmother Reem have found a one-bedroom shack with three mattresses, part of a chest of drawers, and a mirror reflecting sunlight across the floor in front of them. Siwar is quiet, held secure by the protective presence of the two women. She cannot absorb regular milk formula because of a severe allergic reaction. Under the conditions of war and an Israeli blockade on aid arrivals, there is a severe shortage of the formula she needs.
Doctors in Gaza say many young mothers report being unable to breastfeed their babies due to lack of nutrition. The pressing problem is food and clean water. Najwa and her mother Reem still find it difficult to get anything to eat themselves, as they can only provide milk or diapers because of the prices and border closure.
On 22 May, Israeli military body Cogat said there was no food shortage in Gaza. However, the Israeli government says the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed and the Israeli hostages held in Gaza are released.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 20 hostages seized by Hamas in the 7 October 2023 attacks are believed to be alive and up to 30 others dead. Aid agencies, the United Nations, and many foreign governments, including Britain, reject Cogat’s comment that there is no food shortage.
US President Donald Trump has spoken of people “starving” in Gaza, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza as “a teaspoon.” Palestinians are “enduring what may be the cruellest phase of this cruel conflict” with restricted supplies of fuel, shelter, cooking gas, and water purification supplies.
According to the UN, 80% of Gaza is now either designated as an Israeli militarized zone or a place where people have been ordered to leave. The sole constant is the suffering of Gaza’s 2.1 million people, like Najwa and her daughter Siwar.