How virtual reality is helping Gaza's children briefly escape Israel's war

Inside a tent pitched on the sandy outskirts of Al-Zawayda in central Gaza, 10-year-old Mahmoud Abu Sabha carefully adjusts a virtual reality headset. Ten months earlier, an Israeli air strike killed three of his siblings.  As the headset settled over his eyes, Mahmoud was transported elsewhere. 

"I saw green grass and lots of flowers. There was a blue sky without planes. I felt safe and happy, like I was breathing for the first time in a long time," he described to The New Arab. "There was no shelling and no screaming […] I wanted to stay there longer." 

For children like Mahmoud, growing up under Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, such moments of calm are rare. Fear has become routine, woven into sleep, play, and memory.

"Inside the headset," Mahmoud said, "my body reacted differently. "When I'm there, I don’t think about anything scary. My heart calms down. I don't feel tense."

After removing the headset, his thoughts drifted back to life before the war, when school bells rang and football matches in the street.

"Before the war, I went to school every morning. After that, I played football with my friends near the house. We only thought about homework and playing," he recalled.

That world collapsed with Israel's persistent bombing. Mahmoud's home was damaged, forcing his family to flee repeatedly. Nights in displacement camps brought no real rest.

"I used to wake up terrified. Even when it was quiet, I could hear the planes in my head," he said.  "After the session, I sleep better. I don't have nightmares every night any more. I can think about something positive, not just the war."

Therapy tents

"I was in a big garden with butterflies and trees. I felt like I could run freely, without hiding," 11-year-old Yasser described to TNA.

Laughter has been scarce since Israel's war upended Yasser and his family's lives. "We lost a relative in the bombing. After that, I became angry all the time. I didn't like talking to anyone," he said. 

He noted that these sessions have helped him regain some emotional balance. "After using the glasses, I feel lighter. I'm not as angry as before," he said. "I feel a little stronger," he remarked.

For 12-year-old Rami al-Assar, the headset offers something even more profound. Sitting in a wheelchair after being injured during the war, he describes floating through the virtual sky. "I saw birds flying above me. I felt like I was moving with them. I forgot I couldn't walk," he told TNA. 

"I used to play all the time," he said. "After I was hurt, I felt sad and didn't want to go out any more. Here, I feel free. It gives me hope."

Mahmoud, Rami, and Yasser were among dozens of children taking part in a small initiative designed to help Gaza's children cope with the psychological toll of Israel's war.

As hospitals are overwhelmed and psychosocial services stretched thin, the programme uses virtual reality headsets inside makeshift tents to help children cope with war-related trauma.

The initiative was created by Abdul Rahman Abu Shamala, a psychological supervisor of the "TechMed Gaza" group.

"We start by allowing children to describe the beauty they see. Then, gradually, they go back to talking about their painful experiences. The process helps children safely release psychological pressure. They move from calm to confession, from imagination to memory, without feeling overwhelmed," Abu Shamala told TNA.

A generation under trauma

Psychologists in Gaza warn that the mental toll of the war on Palestinian children is both severe and long-lasting.

"Children here have been exposed to extreme levels of fear and trauma. Many have witnessed bombings, lost family members, and lived through repeated displacement," Iyad al-Najjar, a Gaza-based psychologist, said to TNA. 

The impact, he noted, is visible in daily behaviour. "We see sleep disorders, anxiety, sudden anger, and social withdrawal. There is a clear loss of security and trust in their surroundings," al-Najjar added.

Even basic childhood functions have been disrupted. "Many children struggle to concentrate, to learn, and even to play," he explained. "Play is a fundamental right, and it has been stripped away."

In this context, al-Najjar said that "virtual reality offers a small but meaningful intervention."

"It does not heal trauma entirely, but it helps calm the nervous system and provides a positive alternative to scenes of violence," he added. "Temporarily escaping into peaceful, beautiful environments can reduce anxiety and help children articulate emotions they otherwise suppress. It allows them to breathe, psychologically."

The scale of the crisis far exceeds available support. UNICEF estimates that nearly one million children in Gaza require psychosocial assistance, after two years of war marked by mass displacement, prolonged school closures, and shattered infrastructure.