A 2016 video resurfaces, exposing how Hamas molds children for war.
Stefan Tompson
Oct 7, 2025 - 5:38 PM
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A video filmed nearly a decade ago has resurfaced amid the Israel-Hamas war, and it may be the single most important clip for understanding the deeper issues. In it, a former Palestinian Muslim explains how children are raised not to live for the future, but to die for the cause, a practice that forms the very foundation of Hamas’s rule in Gaza and fuels generations of conflict.
A Culture That Glorifies Death
Westerners often assume that everyone wants the same things: peace, prosperity, and a better future for their children. Under Hamas, that assumption collapses. Children in Gaza are taught that their highest calling is martyrdom, sacrificing for the land even at the cost of their lives. Textbooks, songs, cartoons (including one featuring Mickey Mouse) and even kindergarten graduations glorify jihad. In one ceremony, children dressed as commandos staged an attack on a mock Israeli target, kneeling on a child playing an Israeli soldier. This is not fringe extremism, it is mainstream education under Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Golda Meir, Israel’s former prime minister, once observed that there would be no peace until Arabs loved their children more than they hated Jews. She pursued peace relentlessly, even after traumatic events like the Munich Olympics massacre, the Yom Kippur War, and repeated waves of terror. By contrast, Yasser Arafat, longtime leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, openly declared: “Martyrs, martyrs, martyrs - we want a million martyrs to march on Jerusalem.” The difference is stark: one side sought coexistence, the other glorifies endless conflict.
Two Systems, Two Realities
Life under Israel offers freedom, democracy, and rights. Arab citizens, who make up 20 percent of the population, vote, serve in parliament, run businesses, and even sit on the Supreme Court. Israel also protects women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, something unthinkable under Hamas, where homosexuality is punishable by death.
By contrast, billions in international aid to Gaza have been siphoned off by Hamas leaders living in luxury abroad. Ordinary Palestinians are left with failing hospitals, inadequate schools, and a future defined by the next battle. Terror tunnels, reportedly longer than the Paris Metro, were built using child labor - more than 160 children died digging them, yet their deaths sparked no outrage from the activists claiming to champion human rights. Programs like “pay to slay” reward families of terrorists, further incentivizing violence.
The history of the region adds context. The Arabs who stayed in Israel after 1948 became citizens with full rights, while those who left became refugees due to the decisions of Arab leaders. Recent developments, like the Abraham Accords with UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, show that peace and coexistence are possible when leaders choose progress over perpetual victimhood.
The Real Agenda
Western protests are rarely about the Palestinian people. If they were, activists would demand Hamas release hostages, end corruption, and provide Palestinians with basic services. Instead, they burn Israeli and American flags, chant Hamas slogans, and excuse terror as “resistance.” Many protesters are motivated by cultural relativism and anti-Western ideology rather than genuine concern for Palestinians.
This paradox is stark: radical leftists and Islamists form a temporary alliance united by a hatred of Israel, not by shared values. While Hamas seeks to replace Israel with an Islamist state, leftist activists see Israel as a symbol of the West and aim to deconstruct it. Western supporters often ignore contradictions, such as supporting LGBTQ+ rights while backing a regime that persecutes homosexuals.
The conflict is not just about Israel, it is about the survival of the values Israel represents: freedom, democracy, and human rights. If the world fails to recognize the true dynamics at play, the radicals will win.
