Parenthood in Gaza: A father-son journey beyond survival

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
4 May 2024 10:47
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Parenting in Gaza extends far beyond the basic necessity of ensuring a child's survival to the daunting challenge of nurturing children's emotional well-being and shielding them from the trauma of Israeli genocide.

Screengrab: The injured son of a Palestinian electronics and industrial control specialist from Gaza is seen wearing VR goggles. (Al Mayadeen)

After enduring over six months of Israeli genocide, the children of Gaza find themselves traumatized, yearning to know when the relentless Israeli bombing will cease, how much longer they must endure sleepless nights in tents, when they can resume their education, and when they will have a decent meal. Many still mourn the loss of parents, friends, and neighbors who have fallen victim to the Israeli aggression.

Meanwhile, parents in Gaza are at a loss for words. They express feelings of helplessness, desperation, and exhaustion as they struggle to tend to both the physical and emotional wounds of their children. However, they are resilient, refusing to give up and sacrificing everything for their kids.

To report on this issue, Al Mayadeen interviewed Musaab Ali, an electronics and industrial control specialist and a parent from Gaza, who faced a significant challenge when his son was wounded for the second time amid the ongoing genocide. While Ali's circumstances are unique, they strikingly reflect accounts of the toll exacted by the relentless Israeli aggression on children's mental and emotional well-being.

Parenting amid Israeli genocide

After Ali's son reportedly witnessed death firsthand due to an injury sustained in an Israeli airstrike, he fell into a state of deep silence. The overwhelming fear led him to refuse to return home due to the persistent threat of Israeli bombs, prompting Ali to take action.

"I don’t want to go home. I don't want to go where there is bombing and war. I don’t want to go home,” Ali emotionally quoted his son as saying.

Determined to assist his son and other children coping with the trauma of the Israeli war, Ali initiated a project to develop virtual reality (VR) programs targeting psychological distress among the traumatized children of Gaza.

"So I started thinking of some way to get him out of the psychological state he was in. Thankfully, after a while, he could be treated at home. After he was discharged, I tried to pull myself together and organize my life. I put my team back together and borrowed a laptop and some money to buy VR goggles. We started work all over again," Ali told Al Mayadeen.

Through his game development company, Ali and his team created VR experiences featuring serene environments like forests and wildlife, providing an escape route amid all the destruction and chaos of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza.

"Initially, I told the team that we wanted a virtual reality program that could help ease the psychological distress faced by children due to the trauma caused by the war. Thankfully, after several projects and significant trials, we reached a stage where we could create a virtual reality with a forest, animals, and trees that would help transport the child into a new environment," he contended.

"Let’s say, it could give the child more vibrancy, being an environment away from all the destruction that is now prevalent in Gaza," Ali added.

The businessman from Gaza affirmed to Al Mayadeen that these programs proved to be effective in improving communication and alleviating trauma in many children.

"Thankfully, after several trials on children who were traumatized after the bombardment, many cases exhibited significant improvement, with communication levels increasing from 0 to 80%. Additionally, some children regained their ability to communicate 100% after the trauma, with our assistance," he confirmed.

Additionally, Ali's initiatives extended to raising awareness about the dangers of war remnants through VR simulations.

"We also developed other programs related to the war waged on us, such as initiatives to raise awareness among children about the dangers of war remnants and unexploded ordnance," he said heartfully.

In detail, he revealed that they "launched a small VR project wherein if you grab a grenade, it would explode and create a strong effect as a warning for the child not to touch it were they to see one in the future."

Furthermore, Ali pioneered distance learning initiatives using VR technology, offering children an engaging educational environment.

"Also derived from the situation we are facing, we launched yet another project, which is distant learning through VR to allow the child to enter a new environment capable of alleviating their distress and at the same time train them for education in this new landscape," he concluded.

Ali faced the harrowing prospect of losing his child to isolated worlds beyond his reach. His once talkative son now remained silent and withdrawn, a stark contrast to his former lively self. Ali's efforts were driven by a desperate bid to shield his son from the perils of Israeli bombing, forced displacement, Israeli-induced famine, adverse weather conditions, and a multitude of other dangers looming over Gaza. He did it all for his child.

Meanwhile, the grim reality persists: "Israel" killed over 13,000 Palestinian children. Their parents, driven by an unwavering determination to protect their children, spared no effort in attempting to shield them from harm. Yet, the brutality inflicted by Israeli occupation forces has mercilessly torn these children from the embrace of their families forever.