Summer camp... Palestinian-style: Chilling images show children as young as six firing guns and staging mock kidnapping of Israeli soldier



Up to 10,000 boys at a time visit camp in the Gaza Strip

Explosions and burning tyres used to make mock warzone realistic

Believed purpose is to radicalise the terrorists of tomorrow

Many will remember the rat-a-tat sounds they made during the war games they played as children.

But these chilling images show that for youths on the Gaza Strip, the guns are all too real.

The sinister summer camp hosts up to 10,000 boys at a time – and appears to have been designed to mould its visitors into the terrorists of tomorrow.

Dummy run: Two children practise kidnapping an 'Israeli soldier' in the desert sun

War games: The exercise drew comparisons with the capture of Israeli solder Gilad Shalit in 2006

Leap: Others jumped over burning tyres at the sinister summer camp

Target practice: A future fighter aims his gun at the camp which aims to mould the terrorists of tomorrow

Youths aged between six and 16 were seen taking part in a range of exercises, including one that simulated the capture of an Israeli soldier.

Elsewhere in the mock warzone in the town of Rafah, budding fighters crawled under barbed wire, jumped through fire and ducked for cover behind sandbags in the desert terrain.

Explosions and burning tyres helped to simulate realistic battle conditions, as boys were coached to flee from the enemy and shoot at targets. Bullets were fired overhead by their masked supervisors.

The boys were also pictured marching and standing to attention as orders were barked at them to instil military discipline.

Drilled: Youths wearing war paint and black uniforms assemble their weapons Tiny: The camp's visitors can be as young as six Classtime: A group of Palestinian boys listen intently as an instructor demonstrates how to use an assault rifle Tough: Explosions and burning tyres are used to make the exercises realistic Standing to attention: The idea of the camp is to install military discipline The next generation: The sinister summer camp hosts up to 10,000 boys at a time

Visitors to the camp, called Generation of Faith, are given AK47s that are bigger than some of the children holding them.

Participants wear black uniforms bearing the camp’s slogan in Arabic, with a logo showing two fists, two guns and a map of the Gaza Strip.

They are given lessons in Islamic studies as well as gruelling physical training, and it is believed that the camp’s purpose is to radicalise the next generation from a young age.

It is feared that the cadets will join the 300,000 children estimated by Unicef to be currently involved in conflicts across the globe.

The kidnapping ‘game’ witnessed yesterday, which drew comparisons to the capture of soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, involved a young boy being dragged by two gun-toting teenagers from an area marked with an Israeli flag.

Shalit was finally released after more than five years in captivity, as part of a prisoner exchange.

Lessons: It is believed the camp's purpose is to radicalise the next generation from a young age

Training ground: The gruelling physical regime takes place at the camp near the border with Egypt