A circus tent amid the rubble: a safe space for Gaza’s war weary children
A circus tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp, July 2026
Shaimaa Eid reports in The Palestine Chronicle on 15 July 2026:
In a place where overcrowded displacement camps leave little room to breathe, and the suffering of war continues to deepen, the role of the tent is changing day by day. Once a temporary refuge for families fleeing bombardment, it has become a space for learning, recreation, and psychological support—a fragile attempt to reclaim a small part of the life that war has taken away.
In one of the displacement camps in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, the tent is no longer merely a shelter protecting displaced families from the heat and cold. It has become a small space that embraces children and their postponed dreams.
Dozens of children gather there every day to learn circus skills and take part in recreational activities designed to ease the effects of war and the deep psychological trauma and stress it has left behind.
Amid the sounds of children’s voices and bursts of laughter, Majd al-Midana, known among the children as ‘Uncle Majood’, works tirelessly to create a space of joy and hope using the simplest of tools. Displaced from Gaza City’s Al-Shujaiyya neighborhood, the 20-year-old has drawn on his previous experience in circus arts to support children burdened by a war that has forced responsibilities upon them far beyond their years.
Al-Midana told The Palestine Chronicle that the project, called “Circles of Joy,” aims to help Gaza’s children cope with the hardships they have endured during the war while giving them a break from the heavy responsibilities that have come to dominate their daily lives. “From morning until night, many children find themselves standing in lines for water and food or helping their families shoulder the burdens of life in the displacement camps,” he said.
“Instead of spending their time near the rubble or among the dangerous remnants of war and unexploded ordnance that could cost them their lives, we wanted to bring them into this tent, which is filled with activities and games,” he added.
Al-Midana said that what Gaza’s children need today goes beyond traditional forms of entertainment, stressing that the war has left deep psychological scars that cannot be ignored.