17,000 teens graduate as Hamas "liberators"
By Khaled Abu Toameh
The Jerusalem Post, Page 2
Hamas held "graduation ceremonies" on Thursday for 17,000 Palestinian youths who attended its "vanguards of Liberation" training camps in the Gaza Strip.
During the week-long camps, the youths, aged 15 to 21, underwent military training that included handling different types of weapons, as well as sniping.
The training was organized and held by members of Hamas's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam.
Hamas said that the youths would form the nucleus of a future "liberation army."
A spokesman for Izzadin Kassam said during the ceremonies, which were held in Gaza City and Khan Yunis, that the youths were trained to use light and heavy weapons, and that they were taught how to lay in ambush.