Palestinian Children's Role in Jenin Warfare

How Fatah and Hezbullah use children in attacks, in their own words

 

Above: Image taken from a militant Palestinian Nationistic website, showing children being used as stones

An investigative report published in the Hizbollah weekly journal exposed new evidence of children's active involvement in terrorist activity earlier this year in Jenin refugee camp. The children, after being questioned, confessed to a representative reporter of the Hizbollah weekly journal of their involvement in the manufacturing of weaponry, and of their participation in active warfare alongside armed terrorists.

"We traded rocks and stones for hand grenades"

As a result of the ongoing warfare between IDF soldiers and Palestinian militants, residential fighters of the Jenin refugee camp seemed to have studied the IDF's operational strategies, which were taught to the young children of the camps. The children, taught from a very young age to throw stones at IDF soldiers, had begun to replace stones and rocks with hand grenades and small explosive charges. " We traded stones and rocks for hand grenades because the impact is that much stronger" explained Rami, a young child resident of Jenin. Such circumstances developed into a situation of which children had begun to participate in the manufacture of explosives and weaponry. One group of children assists in the manufacturing of arms and a second group of children place them strategically around the area as specified by a senior terrorist operative. A third group is instructed to set up ambushes in street corners carrying bags filled to the brim with explosives.

"The child threw 50 explosive charges towards the IDF soldiers"

Reporter, Sami from Jenin said that he saw children being trained to use explosive charges for the sole purpose of defying the 'Israeli enemy'. Fadi-a young resident of the camp said that "the explosives are designed to blow their heads off, the next time they dare enter our camp will be over our dead bodies". During the battle in Jenin, earlier this year, there could be heard the sound of explosions all over the camp. The residents, upon hearing the explosions ran out of their houses in fear that the IDF was firing grenades all over the camp when in fact the explosions were charges detonating all over the camp, planted by the militant children themselves. Muatsin-age 16, used to kiss the grenades he carried on his back before throwing them upon IDF soldiers: "Allah, make this explosive as powerful as a ball of fire so that it burns the hearts of the Jews". Witnesses said that a young Palestinian aged 16 "threw at least 50 grenades towards IDF soldiers. The children were right alongside him, defending the camp, they succeeded in damaging five tanks and destroying one". Ala Sabadge, a senior member of the Al-Aqsa brigades ( Fatah military wing, headed by Yasser Arafat ) said "Time and time again we have succeeded in overcoming the enemy- men, women and children alike are standing at the gates of the camp, armed and ready for battle- this in order to send a clear message to Sharon (Israel PM) and his troops that any attempt at entering the camp will result in their death". Such was the strategy agreed on by Palestinian militant leaders of the camp regarding the anticipated battle in Jenin. The organizations included were: The Al-Aqsa Brigades- military wing of the Fatah; The Jerusalem companies-terror wing of the Islamic Jihad; The Az Al-din Al- Qassam brigades-terror wing of Hamas; Abu Ali Mustafah, terror wing of the Popular front for the Liberation of Palestine; The National Resistance Brigades and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The aforementioned assembled (on the night of the IDF incursion, April 2002) in the camp's main square. Parading through the streets were hundreds of children, chanting "our stance, our fight to victory or to death, for the will of Allah".

 

Source: Israel Defense Forces, http://www.idf.il, first published Tuesday 26/11/2002 08:27

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