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Hamas starts training camps for 25,000 Palestinians in Gaza

Xinhua, July 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hamas' armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, launched on Saturday training camps for around 25,000 Palestinians all over the Gaza Strip that is under the Islamist movement's control.

Dubbed "the camps of liberation pioneers," they target males aged between 15 to 60 in the coastal enclave, the armed group said in a statement on its website.

The group added that the camps are aimed at preparing a liberation generation of Palestinian young men and improving their spiritual, mental and physical abilities to assume their role in the battle of liberation "against Israel."

The camps will provide training on using live ammunition, scouting skills, civil defense and first medical aid, it said.

Earlier in the year, Hamas' armed wing organized a one-week training course for 17,000 young men in the Gaza Strip aged between 16 to 21 as part of the "liberation pioneers" activity.

Hamas has denied it seeks to form a popular army out of these training, but said the programs are aimed at training the young generations on the skills of self-defense.

Meanwhile, Hamas on Friday rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' remarks that it is holding secret talks with Israel to reach a truce.

"Abbas claims that Hamas is holding political negotiations with the occupation (Israel) are untrue," Hamas spokesman in Gaza Sami Abu Zuhri said in an emailed press statement. Endit