A heartbreaking video of a 2-year-old child in northern Gaza trying to carry two huge jerrycans to obtain drinking water for her family has gone viral, and it has brought world attention to the serious humanitarian crisis in the area. The clip highlighted the catastrophic effect of Israel’s blockade, that has drastically limited access to food and water as a component of its military tactic.
The clip, widely shared on social media, is of the young girl trekking through a makeshift camp to access water, a poignant reminder of children’s sacrifice during the war in Gaza. UNICEF explains that children in the Gaza Strip who have been displaced are receiving 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day, which is far less than the humanitarian threshold of 15 liters for drinking, cleaning, and cooking and even below the 3-liter survival threshold.
Since early December, an estimated hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons—half of whom are children—have poured into Rafah, suffering acute shortages of food, water, shelter, medicines, and protection. Children are at high risk of dehydration, diarrhea, disease, and malnutrition, according to experts, conditions which have been exacerbated by recent flooding and rains that have increased threats of waterborne illnesses such as cholera.
International aid agencies have expressed outrage, saying these experiences cause deep trauma on the lives of children. The popularity of the video has amplified demands for swift international intervention in the deteriorating situation in Gaza
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