Hamas operates a vast and diversified apparatus to indoctrinate children from a very young age to love jihad and devote their lives to fighting the Jews, and to seek martyrdom as the ultimate glory that is highly rewarded in Paradise. This indoctrination is complemented and amplified by parents, especially mothers, who express joy over their children's martyrdom and willingness to sacrifice all their children to the cause[1].
As part of this indoctrination – which is carried out via multiple platforms, such as Hamas' kindergartens, schools and summer camps – children are taught that waging jihad is a religious duty and that martyrdom earns the believer a greater reward in heaven than any other action or virtue. The objective of jihad, they learn, is to liberate Palestine, from the river to the sea, from the Jews, who have no right to exist there, and to eliminate the state of Israel. The messages imparted to children is replete with antisemitic motifs that demonize the Jews, presenting them as the eternal enemies of the Muslims, as subhuman "descendants of apes and pigs," and as bloodthirsty savages with whom no dialogue or reconciliation is possible.
In addition to ideological and religious indoctrination, young children and teens also receive intensive military training as preparation for joining Hamas' military wing or one of the other terror organizations as adults. This training takes place in Hamas' schools, but especially in the organization's vast network of summer camps. Attended by hundreds of thousands of participants every year, the camps cultivate a "spirit of resistance" and instill a commitment to uncompromising armed struggle against Israel, while also teaching a wide range of combat skills. Many of them are named after terrorists who carried armed operations and suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. Alongside Quran lessons, sports activities, games and entertainment, the camps offer extensive military indoctrination and activities, often carried out by members of Hamas's military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. These activities include training with knives and firearms (in some cases with live ammunition); hand-to-hand combat; marching and foot drills, and tunnel combat. Campers also stage plays and enact scenes of fighting and capturing Israeli soldiers or firing rockets into Israel. Many activities are themed around the liberation of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, or deal with commemorating and glorifying terrorists.
Another major platform for indoctrination is Hamas' media. Its television channels, for example, air programs, some aimed at preschoolers, that inculcate values of jihad and martyrdom and glorify terrorists through cartoons, songs, poems and puppet shows. Many of the shows, as well as Hamas rallies and conferences, feature children who articulate the movement's ideology.
Programs aired on Hamas' television channels have shown kindergarten children, dressed in uniforms and armed with mock weapons, staging plays that simulate military attacks and hostage taking.
The following are reports and clips published by MEMRI over the years demonstrating Hamas' indoctrination and training of children to jihad and martyrdom.
Hamas Officials On Indoctrination Of Children, Use Of Children In Fighting
Special Dispatch No. 10911 - Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh: We Need The Blood Of Women, Children, And The Elderly Of Gaza – So It Awakens Our Revolutionary Spirit - 10/27/23
Special Dispatch No. 10384 - Rajaa Al-Halabi, Head Of Hamas Women's Movement: A Martyrdom-Seeking Girl Has Only One Thing On Her Mind — To Meet Her Lord Through Her Blood, Body Parts; Children In Gaza Are Raised To Love Jihad From Infancy - 12/19/22
No. 8689 - Hamas Official Talal Nassar: Palestinians Will Vote For The People Who Trampled The Zionists Underfoot, Sacrificed Their Children As Martyrs, Developed Rockets, And Presented Female Martyrdom-Seekers - 02/08/21
No. 7046 - Hamas Political Bureau Member Fathi Hammad: Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools Will Teach Gaza's Children How to Liberate Palestine; Our Youth Should Join Al-Aqsa and Al-Qassam Brigades - 02/19/19
No. 6576 - Hamas Leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar: Our People Took Off Their Military Uniforms And Joined The Marches; We Decided To Turn The Bodies Of Our Women And Children Into A Dam Blocking Arab Collapse - 05/16/18
No. 6499 - Gaza Tribal Dignitary on Hamas TV: We Shall Liberate Our Land with Martyrs, Women and Children, Take Down the Border with the Fingernails of Our Children - 03/29/18
No. 5811 - Hamas MP Khalil Al-Hayya Hands His Grandchildren Ahmed Yassin's 'Sword of Liberation' in Ceremony Marking Organization's 29th Anniversary - 12/14/16
Indoctrination Of Children To Jihad, Martyrdom, Antisemitism On Hamas TV And Other Media Platforms
No. 10490 - Young Brother And Nephew Of 'Martyred' Gaza Militant Baraa Al-Zard Pledge To Fight, Become Martyrs Just Like Him; Baraa's Father, Hamas Islamic Scholar Wael Al-Zard: The Younger Generation Will Complete The Path Of Liberation - 09/14/23
Special Dispatch No. 10091 - Children In Hamas TV Kids' Show: The Criminal Jews Are Plotting To Replace Al-Aqsa Mosque With Their False Temple, But We Will Defend Jerusalem To Our Last Drop Of Blood; Jihad Is The Pinnacle Of Islam - 07/21/22
No. 5070 - Children on Hamas TV: We Want to Wage Jihad and Blow Up the Jews - 09/04/15
No. 4675 - Young Boy Recites Song on Hamas TV: The Jews Are Barbaric Apes, the Most Evil of Creatures - 12/05/14
No. 4286 - Palestinian Child Recites Poem on Hamas TV to Commemorate Nakba: I Shall Buy a Bullet - 05/16/14
No. 4265 - Hamas TV Children's Show Encourages Killing of Jews - 05/02/14
No. 4065 - Hamas TV's Giant Bee Nahoul Explains the Concept of Negotiations - 11/29/13
No. 3801 - Young Relatives of Deceased Hamas MP Umm Nidal, Mother of Four Killed Terrorists, Wish to Follow in Her Footsteps - 03/29/13
No. 3645 - Young Children of Hamas Member Muhammad Al-Homs, Killed with Ahmad Jaabari: We Want to Be Martyred Like Our Dad - 11/16/12
No. 2717 - Hamas TV Puppet Show: The Criminal Zionists Are Plotting to Destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque - 12/01/10
No. 2628 - Hamas Holiday Song Performed by Children: Give Us Our Pocket-Money to Buy Guns and Wage Jihad - 09/08/10
No. 2599 - Hamas TV Cartoon Depicts Koran-Based Story of Jews Being Transformed into Apes - 08/24/10
No. 2468 - Martyrdom Indoctrination on Hamas TV Children's Show - 04/02/10
No. 2457 - Girls on Al-Aqsa TV: We Want to Fight to Liberate Jerusalem - 03/25/10
No. 2419 - Hamas TV Puppets Encourage Children to Liberate Jerusalem - 03/11/10
No. 2413 - Indoctrination of Children: Animated Film on Hamas TV - 03/12/10
No. 2390 - Glorification of Martyrdom on Al-Quds TV Children's Show: All Palestinians Suckle the Use of the Gun with Their Mother's Milk - 12/26/09
No. 2028 - New Al-Aqsa TV Teddy Bear Nassur Vows to Join Military Wing of Hamas - 02/13/09
No. 2000 - Hamas TV Bunny Assud Killed; Calls on His Deathbed to Liberate Tel Aviv and Haifa - 01/01/09
No. 1814 - Hamas TV Bunny Assud Is Tempted by Satan to Steal and Is Sentenced by Children Viewers to Have His Hand Chopped Off - 07/11/08
No. 1759 - Hamas TV Puppets Kuku and Fufu Vow to Return to Tel Aviv, Haifa, Acre, Jaffa, and Other Cities in Israel - 05/02/08
Special Dispatch No. 1841 - Hamas Children TV Bunny 'Assud' Replaces 'Martyred' Brother 'Nahoul the Bee,' Vows to Liberate Al-Aqsa, 'Eat Jews' - 04/09/08
No. 1729 - Child Stabs President Bush to Death and Turns the White House into a Mosque in a Hamas TV Puppet Show - 03/29/08
No. 1625 - Children on Hamas TV Call to "Liberate" Al-Aqsa Mosque by Force and to "Wipe Out" Zionists to the Last One - 12/03/07
Special Dispatch No. 1742 - New Animated Film on Hamas TV Focuses on Child Martyrdom - 10/17/07
Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 393 - Hamas Children's Magazine Al-Fateh Encourages Terrorism, Glorifies Martyrdom - 10/16/07
Special Dispatch No. 1683 - Hamas Bee Nahoul Abuses Cats, Lions at Gaza Zoo, Calls for Liberation Of Al-Aqsa Mosque - 08/31/07
No. 1540 - Hamas-Style Lion King Vanquishes Fatah Rats in an Al-Aqsa TV Animated Film - 08/23/07
No. 1497 - Farfour, Hamas' Mickey Mouse Character, Is 'Martyred' in the Final Episode of the "Pioneers of Tomorrow" Children Show on Hamas TV - 06/29/07
No. 1446 - Hamas TV Insists on Continuing Inciting Children TV Show - 05/11/07
Special Dispatch No. 1577 - Hamas Al-Aqsa TV: A Mickey Mouse Character Teaches Children About the Islamic Rule of the World And to "Annihilate the Jews" - 05/09/07
No. 1398 - Children of Palestinian Suicide Bomber Rim Al-Riyashi on Hamas TV: Mama Killed Five Jews and She Is in Paradise - 03/07/07
No. 1637 - TV Host on Hamas TV, Child Saraa Barhoum, Sings: "We Liberated Gaza by Force" - 12/20/07
Mothers Celebrate Their Sons' Martyrdom, Express Willingness To Sacrifice Their Children, Stress The Importance Of Instilling Jihadi Values In Their Kids
Special Dispatch No. 10598 - Mother Of Hamas Terrorist Who Murdered British-Israeli Mother And Her Daughters: The Jews Are Our Enemies, We Should Fight Them, Devour Them With Our Teeth - 05/08/23
Special Dispatch No. 10413 - Mother Of Palestinian Terrorist Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi: Ibrahim Is A Role Model For Palestinian Children, Teaching Them To Love Jihad - 01/09/23
No. 9928 - Hamas TV Airs Events Honoring Mothers Of Palestinian Terrorists, 'Martyrs' – Mother Of Slain Terrorists Says: I Will Happily Sacrifice My 17 Children, 65 Grandchildren For The Sake Of Palestine, Al-Aqsa Mosque - 11/03/22
No. 8895 - Mother Of Al-Qassam Brigades Commander Mus'ab Hajjaj, Killed In Recent Fighting: May The Hands Of The Jews Be Paralyzed, Their Hearts Ripped Out, Their Eyes Gouged - 05/27/21
No. 7606 - Mother of Palestinian “Martyr”: All Palestinian Mothers Should Urge Their Children to Wage Jihad; Death Is Inevitable, So Why Not Die as Martyrs? - 09/08/19
No. 6512 - Mother Brings Three-Month-Old Baby to Gaza "Return March," Declares: We Will March to Our Villages - Martyrs in the Millions - - Scenes from Gaza "Return March" - 04/06/18
Special Dispatch No. 5126 - Umm Osama, Wife Of Hamas Member Of Parliament Khalil Al-Hayya: A Woman's Role Is To Instill Love Of Jihad And Martyrdom In Her Children - 01/08/13
No. 2908 - Hamas TV Extolls Female Palestinian Suicide Bombers and Jihad Fighters: Jihad-Fighting Mothers Urge Their Sons to Seek Martyrdom - 04/28/11
No. 2332 - Dr. Kifah Al-Ramali on Hamas TV: The Real Palestinian Beauty Queen Is the Jihad-Fighting Mother - 12/23/09
Special Dispatch No. 2372 - Women and Children in the Service of Resistance - 06/04/09
Special Dispatch No. 2242 - Granddaughter, Wife of Terror Giants 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, Abdallah 'Azzam Urge Palestinian Women to Sacrifice Their Children - 02/12/09
Children Undergo Military Training, Learn About Munitions At Hamas Schools, Summer Camps, Weapons Exhibitions
Special Dispatch: Hamas Summer Camps For Children And Teens In Gaza Strip Provide Weapons And Military Training In Order To Raise 'Generation That Will Liberate Palestine' - 07/17/23
No. 10381 - At Hamas Summer Camps, Children Undergo Military Training, Learn To Handle Weapons, Simulate Raiding Israeli Military Posts, Conquering Jerusalem - 07/14/23
Special Dispatch No. 10690 - Hamas Encourages Young Children To Visit Weapon Exhibitions In Gaza - 07/03/23
Special Dispatch No. 10107 - Hamas' 'Saplings Of Jerusalem' Summer Camps In Gaza Offer Weapons Training To Prepare Kids For Liberating Palestine - 08/01/22
Special Dispatch No. 9643 - Hamas Military Exhibition Showcases Weapons, Allows Children, Students To Simulate Liberating The Al-Aqsa Mosque, Attack Israeli Settlements With Drones - 11/18/21
Special Dispatch No. 9417 - Hamas And Islamic Jihad Summer Camps In Gaza: A Framework For Jihadi Indoctrination, Military Training - 06/28/21
No. 8940 - Hamas 'Pioneers Of Liberation' Summer Camp Promotional Video: Teen Campers Use Simulators To Practice Sniping And Launching Anti-Tank Missiles - 06/25/21
Special Dispatch No. 9411 - Hamas' Camps For Children And Youth – A Means Of Indoctrination For Jihad And Martyrdom, Imparting Military Skills - 06/24/21
Special Dispatch No. 7046 - Motto Of Hamas Summer Camps This Year: 'Marching On Jerusalem'; Their Goal: To Train The Generation That Will Liberate Palestine, Jerusalem - 08/08/17
No. 6151 - Hamas Summer Camp Graduation in Gaza: Teen Cadets Demonstrate Military Training, "Capture" Israeli Soldier - 07/31/17
No. 6145 - Hamas Military Wing Summer Camp: Teens Enact Scenes from Al-Aqsa Mosque Standoff, "Kill" Israeli Soldiers, "Liberate" Al-Aqsa Mosque - 07/19/17
No. 5975 - Hamas Program in Gaza High Schools Instructs Students in the Use of Weapons and Urban Warfare - 04/01/17
Special Dispatch No. 6560 - Al-Quds Intifada Summer Camps In Gaza Offer Training In Stabbing, Firearms, Tunnel Combat - 08/08/16
No. 5577 - Teenagers Train for Jihad, Martyrdom at a Hamas Summer Camp in Gaza - 07/16/16
No. 5025 - Hamas Summer Camps in Gaza Train Youth in Warfare, Instill Spirit of Jihad - 07/27/15
No. 5020 - Passerby Scolds Sheik for Teaching Martyrdom to Children at Al-Aqsa Mosque Summer Camp - 07/27/15
Special Dispatch No. 6093 - Intense Campaign By Hamas's Military Wing To Recruit Youths For Its Summer Camps - 07/06/15
No. 4757 - Thousands of Gaza Youth Train at Hamas Military Wing Camp - 01/01/15
No. 4119 - Military Performances, Glorification of Suicide Bombings at Graduation Ceremony of Hamas Youth Camps - 01/16/14
No. 4060 - Paramilitary Training in Gaza High Schools - 11/24/13
Special Dispatch No. 5339 - Motto Of Hamas's Summer Camps In Gaza This Year: 'The Generation Of Return' - 06/18/13
Special Dispatch No. 5054 - New Program In Gaza Schools Teaches Military Skills, Cultivates 'Resistance Spirit' - 11/16/12
Children At Hamas Rallies, Events Express Commitment To Jihad, Articulate Antisemitic Tropes, Recite Movement's Principles
No. 6883 - Poem Recited by Palestinian Girl at Gaza Conference: The Wild Apes and Miserable Pigs (Jews) Are Destined for Humiliation, Jerusalem Spits Out Their Filth - 11/29/18
No. 6344 - Kids at Hamas Rally in Gaza: Trump, You Idiot, Netanyahu, You Son of a Jewish Woman, the Children of Gaza Will Trample You Underfoot - 12/15/17
No. 4822 - Boys Rap at Hamas Rally in Gaza: We Will Capture Soldiers, Fight Jews - 03/06/15
No. 5461 - Children Call for Martyrdom, Capture Israeli "Soldier" at a Khan Yunis "Childhood Festival" - 05/04/16
Indoctrination Of Kindergarten Kids: Children Stage Military-Style Performances
Special Dispatch No. 9624 - Gaza Kindergarten Performance Marking 104th Anniversary Of Balfour Declaration: Palestine Is Ours, We Shall Return; Down With The Balfour Declaration - 11/03/21
No. 6594 - Gaza Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony: Kids Stage Mock Military Attack and Hostage-Taking - 05/13/18
No. 6077 - Pre-Schoolers Stage Terror Display at a Gaza Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony - 05/29/17
No. 6006 - Military-Style Performance by Gaza Kindergarten Children - 11/27/16
No. 5491 - Terror Show at a Gaza Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony; Islamic Jihad Leader to Israelis: We Are Not Terrorists, Don't Force Us to Kill You - 05/30/16
