At least 50 Palestinians, including several children, were wounded in a blast that occurred inside a training camp in Gaza for terrorists of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s so-called “military wing”.

The health ministry spokesman in Gaza said five wounded are in a serious condition..

Witnesses said the blast took place in northern Gaza.

A doctor in the enclave, Baker Abu Safia of Al-Awda Hospital, said 30 wounded people were brought to his establishment, most of them women and children.

He said the hospital “declared a state of emergency” after the explosion took place.

The reason for the blast is unknown, as well as to why so many children were inside a military-style base.

Hamas is often criticized for the use of children for terror purposes. According to MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute, children in Gaza attend summer camps, where they use real firearms and are taught the importance of “liberating all of Palestine.” Children also learn about topics such as the “right of return,” Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

A 2012 paper written for the Journal of Palestine Studies reported said that Hamas used children to help them dig numerous tunnels into Israel and Egypt, of which at least 160 of the children died.

source: eipa