**FILE** Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister of the Gaza Strip, delivers ... more >Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced Thursday that Gaza will establish a new military academy, the first of its kind, to prepare children for the “phase of liberating Palestine.”
He was speaking during a celebration of the birth of Mohamed in the Gaza Strip with more than 10,000 schoolchildren attending. The ceremony included a military parade by some of the teenagers, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The prime minister announced that he instructed the Hamas-run Ministry of Education to proceed with the project, establishing a program for children in grades seven through nine. The children who join the academy are to graduate with a diploma or Bachelor of Arts degree in military affairs.
Mr Haniyeh said the new academy would prepare children for the formation of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” The Post reports.
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Jessica Chasmar is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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