Hamas training camp in Gaza (file)
Hamas training camp in Gaza (file)Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash 90

Education of the younger generation has been a priority for Hamas ever since it took over Gaza in 2007. Education to violence and war, that is – and especially the encouragement of “martyrdom” in the name of “jihad” against Jews.

Hamas has used all forms of communication – electronic, audio, visual, and in-person, within the schools and youth movements – in order to push its agenda. Mosques in Gaza are hotbeds of recruitment for terrorists, as well.

Over the summer, Hamas holds special summer camps to give its potential next-generation of terrorists the operational tools to attack Israel. A combination of practical and ideological indoctrination produces a large number of youths who declare their loyalty to the terror group, and their willingness to blow themselves up – in the hope that they will take dozens of Jews with them to the grave.

The camps have become a fixture of summer life in Gaza, and this year is no different. Besides Hamas, the Al Aqsa Brigades is holding its own camp this year, with over 25,000 participants ages 15 through 60 participating. In a previous camp session in January, over 17,000 participated.

Among the activities in the Al Aqsa camps: sharpshooting practice, first-aid skills, and “civilian defense” operations. According to the terror group, the purpose of the camp is “to prepare the next generation of Palestinian fighters spiritually, intellectually, and physically through training by top coaches and professional counselors, to enable them to take on the tasks necessary for the liberation.”