‘Not a Summer Camp, but System of Brainwashing,’ IDF Says of Hamas’ Summer Terror Camps

Instead of fun in the sun, Palestinians use the summer to train the next generation of terrorists.

While summer camps for youngsters are in full swing around the globe, the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza are busy running special terrorist training programs for tens of thousands of children and adolescents, which include military exercises, the use of weapons, ideological indoctrination and lessons in abducting Israeli soldiers.

Hamas terrorists, who rule Gaza, have again set up summer training camps throughout the Strip to “train future generations of Palestinian resistance fighters,” the group’s preferred term for the murderers it trains to attack civilians.

The graduation ceremonies for these summer programs include the use of live ammunition, explosions, and staged abductions of Israeli soldiers.

On Saturday, the central committee of Hamas’ summer camps in the Gaza Strip held a press conference to announce the opening of its socalled summer camps.

The theme this year is “I am returning to my homeland,” inspired by the so-called “March of Return,” whose ultimate goal is to erase Israel and replace it with an Islamic state.

Activities integrated into camp activities include launching balloons, throwing stones, collecting tires and glorifying the Shaheeds – Muslim martyrs – killed during the violent riots on Israel’s border with Gaza.

The ultimate objective of these programs, besides brainwashing, is to train these youth to act as an auxiliary force in a future confrontation with Israel.

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terror Information Center (ITIC) has pointed out that the incorporation of youth into the Hamas terror apparatus makes the distinction between civilians and combatants during warfare more difficult and could result in a rise in civilian casualties in a future conflict.

“Summer camp usually brings to mind images of friends, games and fun activities such as art or sports. In Gaza, Hamas prefers to take kids and spend the summer training them in terrorism and incitement,” the IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories stated.

“This is not a summer camp, but a system of brainwashing,” he added.