Disturbing video of 2-year-old toddler rushing to get water in Gaza goes viral

A harrowing video of a 2-year-old toddler rushing out of her makeshift home in northern Gaza has gone viral.

The disturbing footage shows the girl carrying two jerrycans almost as large as she is, in an attempt to fetch drinking water for her family.

The video highlights the pathos of war and the brutality of Israel’s blockade, which has cut off access to food and water to achieve military objectives.

Experts from around the world have voiced their concern that such incidents cause unfathomable trauma to children.

Displaced children in the Gaza Strip are receiving only 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day—well below the minimum requirements for survival—according to UNICEF estimates.

Humanitarian standards state that the minimum amount of water needed in emergencies is 15 litres per day, which includes water for drinking, washing, and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is 3 litres per day.

Since early December, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people—half of whom are estimated to be children—have arrived in Rafah and are in desperate need of food, water, shelter, medicine, and protection.

The impact on children is particularly severe, as they are more susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, disease, and malnutrition—all of which can combine to pose a serious threat to their survival.

Concerns of waterborne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhea are particularly heightened given the lack of safe water, especially following this week’s rains and flooding.