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 them have been tasked by the Lions’ Den and Balata Battalion with preparing explosive devices that are being used against soldiers, Palestinian sources said. Others have been armed with rifles.
The recruitment of minors by Palestinian armed groups is not a new phenomenon, but has been ongoing for decades.
In recent weeks, however, some Nablus residents have criticized the armed groups for allowing boys aged 15-17 to take part in clashes with the IDF. The residents also attacked the groups for using the boys to prepare explosive devices and monitor the movements of IDF troops.
“This is very bad and worrying,” said a prominent businessman from Nablus. “I appeal to the armed groups to stop using children.”
A school headmaster from the city said he received complaints from many parents about the “exploitation” of their children by the armed groups. “We are working closely with the families and the Palestinian security services to solve this problem,” he said. “We don’t want to endanger the lives of our children.”
Nasser wants to be a martyr
A 15-year-old boy, who identified himself as Nasser, told The Jerusalem Post that he “works for” the Balata Battalion, which consists of dozens of gunmen from the refugee camp.
Interviewed in the Old City of Nablus last week, Nasser said he and one of his friends, 16-year-old Mohammed, were involved in preparing improvised explosive devices for the group.
He said he and other children have quit school to join the Balata Battalion.
“My role model is Ibrahim al-Nabulsi,” Nasser said, referring to the gunman killed by the IDF in the Old City of Nablus last August. “I want to be a martyr like Ibrahim.”
“I want to be a martyr like Ibrahim.”
15-year-old Nasser
According to Nasser, his father is aware of his activities on behalf of the battalion.
“I told my father, ‘You love me and want me to be with you, but God also loves me and wants me to be with Him. I have chosen to be with God.’”
Nasser said he and his friends have lost confidence in the Palestinian Authority. “Our leader is [Hamas military commander] Mohammed Deif,” he said. “He represents us and the Palestinian resistance.”
Although he lives in Balata Refugee Camp, Nasser visits the site where Nabulsi was killed in the Old City of Nablus almost every day. When he returns to the camp, he joins other teenagers in preparing explosive devices.
Mahdi Hashash killed by bomb he was carrying
Last month, Mahdi Hashash, 15, was killed when an explosive device he was carrying exploded.
The incident took place during clashes between gunmen and IDF soldiers accompanying Jewish worshippers to Joseph’s Tomb near the Balata camp.
The Balata Battalion later endorsed Hashash as one of its “martyrs.” The group, however, did not publicly admit that Hashash, nicknamed Shaimoun, was carrying an explosive device.
Hashash’s friends told the Post that, like many teenagers, one of his missions was also to monitor the movements of the IDF when they enter Nablus.
After his death, the Balata Battalion praised Hashash as a “hero” describing him as a “Lion of the Battalion.”
Waseem Khalfeh killed in clashes with IDF
Last August, 18-year-old Waseem Khalifeh, also of Balata Refugee Camp, was killed by the IDF while fighting alongside Balata Battalion gunmen. A year earlier, he was shot and seriously injured by the IDF during armed clashes in the camp.
Sources in the camp confirmed that Khalifeh had joined the Balata Battalion at the age of 16.
Ahmed Shehadeh, also 16, was killed during armed clashes with the IDF in Nablus in late November.
A resident of the Old City, he was a close friend of Hashash. Days before he was killed, Shehadeh posted a video of himself standing next to his friend’s grave.
A leaflet issued by the ruling Fatah faction in Nablus mourned Shehadeh as a “martyr,” describing him as the “boy of rocks,” a reference to his involvement in throwing rocks at IDF soldiers. Some residents claimed that he had been recruited by the Lions’ Den.
A 23-year-old gunman from the Old City of Nablus told the Post that there was full cooperation between the various armed groups in the Nablus area, including the Lions’ Den and Balata Battalion.
The gunman confirmed that the groups have been recruiting teenagers. “Many young people want to join the resistance,” he said. “Anyone who has the ability to carry a rifle is welcome.”
Wanted by both Israel and the Palestinian security forces, he said the armed groups in the Nablus area were now more cautious.
“We believe that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have infiltrated the armed groups,” he said. “There are many spies here and we have learned from the mistakes of the past.”