For many years, the armed Palestinian factions have been in the business of forcing others to “sacrifice for the cause.” In the Gaza Strip, for example, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have for many years been hiding their weapons in and near civilian structures – schools, hospitals, office buildings, apartments – so as to ensure that civilians will also be put at risk if, and when, Israel attacks those weapons hideouts. Of course, Israel does everything it can to warn civilians away from buildings about to be targeted, by emailing, telephoning, and making use of the “knock-on-the-roof” technique. Still, there will always be those who do not leave in time, and despite Israel’s best efforts, there are Palestinian civilians who are wounded and killed.

Another practice of the Palestinians is to recruit minors, filing them with dreams of becoming “shahids” or “martyrs” for the cause of Palestine. More and more parents of such children have been expressing their alarm over this practice; they don’t want their teenage sons to become cannon fodder. More on this can be found here: “Nablus residents worried about minors joining clashes with IDF,” by Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, December 17, 2022

Some Palestinians in Nablus have expressed concern over the recruitment of minors by armed groups in the city and the nearby Balata Refugee Camp.

Some of the minors have been tasked by the groups, the Lions’ Den and Balata Battalion, with preparing explosive devices that are being used against the soldiers, Palestinian sources said. Others have been armed with rifles.

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Preparing explosives for others to use against IDF soldiers is itself a very dangerous task. So is arming these minors with rifles, which will make them even more ready and willing to participate in battles, to fight and die for Palestine. And it also makes them, carrying their rifles, more likely targets of IDF snipers.

Read more: Jihad Watch