The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been saturating Facebook pages and hitting headlines worldwide; it's been carried out by the young, old and a plethora of celebrities - from David Beckham to Alex Salmond.

Now, off the back of the campaign, Palestinians have launched the "Rubble Bucket Challenge" in a moving appeal, where participants swap ice - a precious resource - for debris.

In solidarity with those in Gaza who have lost their homes in the ongoing conflict with Israel, the web has hijacked the ice bucket challenge to "raise awareness on the war in Gaza where people are bombarded in their homes," according to the Facebook page where more than 4,000 are now backing the appeal.

More than 2,100 Palestinians and 68 Israelis have died in the war so far.

The trend appears to have been started by Jordanian comedian Mohammed Darwaza, who said it enabled him to feel the pain felt by children in Gaza.

Ayman Aloul, a journalist based in Gaza, gained wide-spread support after releasing a video where he carries out the challenge amid a sea of debris.

"I like the idea of 'Ice Bucket Challenge', so I decided to create the Palestinian version. But here, the water is too precious to be poured on the head," he said.

"We looked at what was around us and we decided to use what is there at the place of ice water," he said.

Rather than asking for "material aid", the journalist has called for "solidarity messages, especially from those who have lots of followers or the public."

“If five famous people in the world like actors or presidents will do the challenge, that means I succeeded in sending the message about Gaza."

(The Huffington Post)

Bakudaily.Az