Gazans speak out over reports of extremist teaching in schools and mosques
The article alleges that Hamas has used Gaza’s schools, mosques and youth activities to teach children extremist ideas and glorify violence, and reports that some Gazans are speaking out despite personal risk. It presents this as a threat to children and to the prospects for peace, while also raising questions about the role of outside funding for Gaza’s education system.
A Gaza mother interviewed under a pseudonym says her young son returned from mosque lessons talking about becoming a martyr and receiving houris, prompting her to teach him at home. The article says Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007 and describes military summer camps and textbooks as part of its influence over children; it also refers to hundreds of millions of pounds in UK government funding channelled to the UN agency running many schools.
- Gazans say Hamas ideology is reaching children through education and youth activities.
- One mother says her son spoke of martyrdom before he was ten.
- The article raises concerns about children’s education and prospects for peace.
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Gaza is a Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean, where Hamas has governed since 2007. Schools are run by different organisations, including the United Nations agency UNRWA, which provides education and other services to Palestinian refugees.
The reports concern claims that lessons in some mosques, schools and youth activities promote Hamas’s ideas and portray violence as heroic. Hamas is an Islamist political and armed group; its influence over education and young people is disputed and has drawn scrutiny.
The issue matters because education can shape children’s understanding of conflict and their hopes for the future. It also raises questions about how schools are monitored and how international funding, including UK support for UNRWA, is used.
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The case for
If the reported accounts are accurate, teaching children to glorify violence or aspire to martyrdom can put them at risk and make coexistence harder. Those concerned may argue that Gaza’s authorities and institutions have a duty to protect children from political or military indoctrination, and that outside donors should scrutinise how education is delivered and funded.
The case against
The claims and individual accounts warrant careful verification, especially in a conflict where testimony may be difficult to assess and broad allegations can stigmatise a whole population or education system. A thoughtful response can condemn any teaching that encourages violence while cautioning against treating Hamas’s alleged influence as proof that UN-run schools or their funding support extremism; scrutiny should distinguish documented practice from accusation and avoid disrupting children’s education.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “The brave Gazans daring to condemn Palestinian schools that teach their children to ‘slit the throats of Israelis’… even in so-called grammar lessons”.