A one-year-old Palestinian girl, whose fight for survival has been tracked for months, is once again confined to a hospital bed in Gaza, a fragile symbol of a healthcare system on the verge of total collapse. Siwar Ashour, suffering from severe nutritional and immune deficiencies, was returned to Gaza on December 3 after six months of specialised treatment in Jordan, only to fall gravely ill again within days.

Her story is a harrowing snapshot of a wider humanitarian disaster. Even with a ceasefire in place since October, conditions in Gaza are breeding grounds for illness. "She started having diarrhoea and vomiting and her situation keeps getting worse," her grandmother, Sahar Ashour, recounted to journalists. The infection, doctors say, is gastro-intestinal—a common but potentially lethal threat for a child with a compromised immune system who requires specialised formula.

A System on the Brink

Siwar is now at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the few partially functioning medical facilities left in central Gaza. Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, a physician at the hospital, confirmed she is receiving treatment but noted, "the situation is still bad for her." His concerns extend far beyond a single patient. Since the ceasefire, he explained, child admissions have tripled, overwhelming a facility already crippled by shortages.

The crisis is systemic and severe. Health officials and international organisations paint a grim picture of the conditions fueling this surge in sickness:

• Widespread Disease: Poor hygiene from destroyed infrastructure has led to a dramatic increase in infections like diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses, and skin diseases. Medical groups have warned of rising cases of hepatitis and the potential for epidemics like cholera.
• Severe Shortages: Dr. Daqran emphasized a critical lack of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel for generators, which he called "the main artery to keep a hospital going." Gaza's health ministry reports a 52% shortage of essential medicines.
• Rampant Malnutrition: The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that over 100,000 children in Gaza will suffer from acute malnutrition through next April. In the first two weeks of December alone, more than 2,400 children were admitted for such treatment.

The WHO has described the humanitarian needs as "staggering," warning that infectious diseases are "spiralling out of control." The challenge is immense, with thousands of patients, including many children, awaiting medical evacuation for care that is unavailable in the territory. For children like Siwar, returning home was meant to be the end of a medical ordeal. Instead, it has plunged her back into the heart of a deepening public health catastrophe.