The Fatah-affiliated Palestine Press Agency reported that the Hamas camps had been established in closed areas in various parts of the Gaza Strip so that the families would not see what's happening inside them.Some Palestinian parents in the Gaza Strip are up in arms over Hamas summer camps which are being used to train children on the use of weapons and other military equipment.
The families on Tuesday also accused Hamas of inciting their children against Israel and Fatah. Some of the families decided to pull their children out of the camps after discovering the goals of the camp. Most of the children who are participating in the current Hamas summer camps are between the ages of eight and 17.
The agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying that children were being taught how to fire automatic rifles and handle hand grenades.
"The military training is taking place in the early hours; children are being taught how to use Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons," said one eyewitness.
"The Hamas supervisors are also giving lectures to the children accusing Fatah of collaboration with Israel and betraying the Palestinians. They are also quoting phrases from the Quran that encourage the children to kill the 'traitors.'"
The children are recruited through advertisements in mosques that only promise to teach children about Islam.
A statement issued by Fatah accused Hamas of "kidnapping" and "brainwashing" the children.
"Hamas is helping create a culture of hatred and vengeance," the statement charged. "They are killing the innocence of children by forcing them to undergo military training and teaching them hatred. They want to use these children to fight their own people in the future.
The original article at Palpress.ps in Arabic is interesting not only for the details, but for the comments that the readers are leaving:
The talk keeps it every MuslimEducate your children shooting, swimming, and riding horses
Ratified O Prophet of God and how we want to prevail over our enemies without that we train our children and teach them everything good moral courage much literature and no one can do that only ...... Islamic movement Hamas movement.
Why all this silence on this terrorist movement, why is dealing with Hamas as part of the national fabric, no one denies the weight of the Hamas movement within the Palestinian community, but criminal gangs of murderous terrorist and arms dealers blood and hashish justifying everything plea religion, Accordingly, the Palestinian people and all the free world to stand united in the face of this terrorism, which is no different from the Stern terrorist gangs and Alejanah Zionism.
We are not against arms training, but the youth and not children who can not afford report assumes great between what is right and wrong and as long Anu training for the Jews Why is it that they say the overdraft Ibderbohem to fighting the Jews but not training children for the Jews but people who are in their traitors if they claimed to use these weapons for the Jews we are with them, but I think that Hamas stood threw missiles at the settlements if Israel resistance was what stood throwing error Iraqi nor is logical, clear,