The faint cry of Siwar Ashour echoed through the chaos as she was carried off the coach, a fragile yet defiant voice emerging from the confluence of war and desperation. At just six months old, Siwar’s tiny frame weighed a mere 3 kg (6.6 lb), drastically below the healthy standard for her age. Her mother, Najwa, 23, shared her overwhelming relief upon crossing into Jordan on Wednesday, sent forth from Gaza alongside other Palestinian children. For Najwa, the quietness of Jordan was transformative. "It feels like there is a truce," she expressed, hopeful for a night free from the sounds of rockets and bombs.
Accompanied by her grandmother Reem and her father Saleh, who is blind, Siwar’s family had a singular motive for this journey: to safeguard her future. Saleh voiced his worries with palpable emotion, "I want to make sure she is safe and cured. She's my daughter, my own flesh and blood." Reem proudly carried Siwar off the bus, a sign of victory as she triumphantly gestured upon arrival in Jordan.
Previously photographed at Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, Siwar suffered from malnutrition due to the acute shortage of special milk formula, vital for her health. Najwa had also been unable to breastfeed due to her own malnutrition, presenting a grim forecast for Siwar's recovery. Efforts by the Jordanian Field hospital and private fundraisers eventually delivered the needed formula to Gaza; however, the dire situation necessitated more comprehensive medical treatment.
Following a deal struck between King Abdullah of Jordan and US President Donald Trump earlier this year, arrangements were made to transfer 2,000 seriously ill children to Amman. As a result, 57 children, along with their family escorts, had been evacuated from Gaza since March. The journey culminated with Siwar being one of the latest arrivals, alongside 15 other children, making their way to safety.
Once in Jordan, Siwar was surrounded by the encroaching sense of peace and plenty, welcome relief from the trauma endured in Gaza. Noting the exhaustion etched on the faces of parents and children alike, it became evident that these families share a collective sorrow of separation and loss. Many found themselves displaced or forced to endure prolonged waits for medical assistance in the wake of ongoing conflicts.
Najwa shared her own harrowing experience of medical separation; a routine trip to the hospital turned into a two-month absence from her husband, Saleh. The anxiety of uncertainty lingered as they navigated their daughter's critical condition.
As they traveled to Amman, Najwa, pregnant and drained from the ordeal, eventually succumbed to sleep while Siwar remained alert in her grandmother's embrace. The ambulance ride also included two cancer-stricken boys and their families, each facing their own daunting trials.
Upon arriving in Amman, Siwar was promptly relocated to medical care, where she would receive essential treatment unattainable within Gaza’s beleaguered medical facilities. A beacon of hope, the family now enjoys a reprieve from fear, with the promise of healing on the horizon.
