Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — Hamas has expanded military training of youngsters.

Palestinian sources said the Izzedin Kassam military wing has been
mobilizing thousands of teenagers in the Gaza Strip for military training.
They said Kassam introduced the Futuwa program in 2013 to train 37,000
Palestinians ages 15 to 17.

“The youth can join military wings of factions, they don’t need military
training at school,” Hamas program director Mohammed Siyam said.

The training program began in September 2012 in schools throughout the
Gaza Strip amid preparations for a war with Israel. The program included
weekly lessons on weapons fire, rocket-propelled grenade launcher as well as urban warfare.

The students deemed highly competent were invited to a Hamas military
camp operated by Kassam officers. In March 2013, Hamas hosted 5,000
teenagers for the two-week military course that included a mock attack on an Israel Army outpost.

“The program includes military exercises, particularly on weapons
training and skills training in the field of military confrontation,” Siyam
said.

On April 5, Hamas posted a video that showed the teenage military
course. The trainees, dressed in black, were directed in a battle in which
an RPG was fired at an Israeli border post.

Officials said Hamas was trying to train young civilians on how to
resist any Israeli invasion. They said Hamas was also drafting a military
program for girls in 2014.

  000 teens, 15-17, Futuwa program, Gaza Strip, Hamas training 37, in urban warfare, Izzedin Kassam, Mohammed Siyam