GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A pair of Palestinian clowns is offering some laughs and relief to children with chronic illnesses at pediatric wards in hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

With no circus or fair in Gaza to offer employment, Majed Kaloub and Alaa Miqdad began reaching out to kids in kindergartens and schools. Now, thanks to the aid of CISS, an Italian nonprofit, they have found a niche for their work in hospitals.

“The clown is a supporting tool for the medical doctor,” said Kaloub, 24. “As much as we can, we try to let the child respond to us to reach his heart.”

For Miqdad, a 33-year-old dwarf, the experience has been far more personal. When he was younger, he said, he was bullied, and for a long time after that, he resisted children.

“The children are all my life now. I do most of the work with them,” he said.

The clowns typically visit three medical centers a week. At al-Rantisi hospital, children jumped from their parents' laps to greet Miqdad, even before he put on his costume.

In a tiny locker room, Kaloub and Miqdad put on colorful loose outfits over their casual street clothes and applied makeup and a red clown's nose. Miqdad put on a bright mohawk wig. They then set off giggles with dancing, magic tricks and bubble-blowing.

“They are beautiful,” said Mohammed al-Baz, 11, who suffers from a disorder that can cause epileptic seizures. “They make me laugh every time I come here.”

The work has taken its toll on both clowns, Kaloub said.

“One of the greatest difficulties is that most of the children we see die after we cherish them,” he said. “If we despair, we won't continue our work.”