A large amount of evidence has been collected as part of the IDF's ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza proving the indoctrination of children from a young age to hate Israel and Jews, as well as theoretical and practical military training.
The IDF published on Wednesday collated photos and videos showing children undergoing military training, posing with weapons, and even simulated drills in a mock tunnel.
It is also well documented by international organizations that Palestinian textbooks used in Gaza's schools, including those run by international agency UNRWA, contain antisemitic and anti-Israel tropes, and over the 16 years Hamas has been in power, hundreds of thousands of children have enrolled in the terror group's summer camps, where children are also taught learn to shoot weapons, fight against tanks and even kidnap soldiers.These camps are known as the early stages of training for Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. ID cards collected by the IDF also show children's membership in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Hamas continues using minors during war
Even during the ongoing war, when holding such training camps is impossible, Hamas continues to utilize those underage for various tasks, including sending children to deliver both messages and ammunition. Prior intelligence from the IDF of one Hamas commander in the "Zeytoun" Battalion has demonstrated the logic behind Hamas's use of children in war beyond indoctrination.Children are used to transfer ammunition with the understanding that the IDF will not harm them due to the Israeli military's compliance with international law. Examples include the transfer of explosives in vegetable bags by children in Gaza and the sending of children to combat zones after attacks in order to assess the damage and report it to Hamas terrorists who are hiding in shelters.
Israeli hostages who were released from Hamas captivity describe how some of them were also kept in the family homes of Gazans, which included children, who helped to attend to the hostages. Hamas is also known to use children's schools and playgrounds as military infrastructure, including to hide weapons or as the entrance to tunnel shafts. In December, Israeli soldiers located and exposed a Hamas terrorist ambush at the entrance to a tunnel shaft, using dolls and children's backpacks in an attempt to lure soldiers in hopes of finding hostages.
