On November 14-15, 2021, Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar), the A24 News Agency YouTube channel, and the Al-Resalah YouTube channel aired reports about a military exhibition titled "Generation of Jerusalem," held in Gaza by Hamas and its student wing, the Islamic Bloc. The exhibition allows teens, students, and the general public to view a wide array of Hamas weapons and to simulate the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan said in an interview that the event commemorates the "martyrdom" of Ahmad Jaabari, a top Hamas military commander who was killed by Israeli forces on November 14, 2012. Radwan also said that the exhibition aims to prepare the "generation of Jerusalem and Palestine" to liberate Palestinian prisoners.
Sa'id Al-Luqta, the head of the Media Office of the Islamic Bloc in Gaza, said that the exhibition's opening hours cater to middle school, high school students, and university students, and that students visiting the exhibition can use virtual reality games to simulate using weapons and attacking Israeli military posts. The head of the Islamic Bloc in western Gaza, Abd Al-Latif Zughra, explained that these simulators are the same ones used in training by Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades. He also explained that visitors can simulate the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Shehab drone attacks against Israeli settlements. In addition, he said that the exhibition showcases locally manufactured weapons, including the Qassam M-75 rocket, the Al-Ghoul sniper rifle, drones, hand grenades, and bombs.
To view the clip of Hamas' military exhibition on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
The Exhibition Showcases Hamas' "Military Production, From Its Early Stages To Its Latest Achievements"
Reporter: "Dear viewers, welcome to Al-Jazeera's coverage of this historic exhibition, organized by Hamas and its student wing, the Islamic Bloc. At this exhibition – where some leaders of Hamas and the Al-Qassam Brigades are present – Hamas is showcasing its military production, from its early stages to its latest achievements – from hand grenades to rocket launchers and rockets.
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"How long will this exhibition remain open, and who is the target audience?"
Sa'id Al-Luqta: "Allah willing, the exhibition will remain open for ten days. The exhibition will be visited by middle school and high school students, as well as university students."
Reporter: "Will the exhibition be open for more than ten days?"
Al-Luqta: "Yes. The exhibition is open for ten days, so that as many students as possible can see the exhibition with their own eyes."
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Visiting School Groups "Experience The Atmosphere Of Resistance [So That] The Message Of This Exhibition Is Instilled In Their Hearts"
Reporter: "Is the exhibition open for everyone, or is it only for a specific audience?"
Al-Luqta: "The exhibition is open every day, from 8:00 AM until the end of the day. School groups will visit the exhibition in the morning hours, and afterwards the exhibition will be open to the general public in Gaza, so they can get acquainted with the exhibition and its different booths.
"The exhibition includes a room with electronic shooting simulators, and the students will shoot in that room and experience the atmosphere of resistance, and so that the message of this exhibition is instilled in their hearts."'
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Reporter: "There is another activity station, where there are simulators. I think they were also built by the Al-Qassam Brigades. This activity station saved a lot of ammunition for the resistance. It stimulates the targeting and storming of the Israeli occupation's [military] posts. You made this activity station available for the students and the visitors. Please tell us more about this room. Let's enter. Just turn on the light, let's see. As you can see, dear viewers, these are real weapons, except that they shoot laser beams, like in games, but they stimulate the real experience."
Program Simulates "The Storming And Liberation Of The Al-Aqsa Mosque"; Students Carry Out Simulated "Sniper Attacks Against Occupation Soldiers"
Abd Al-Latif Zughra: "The simulator room is used by the Al-Qassam Brigades for practicing shooting and sniping without using live ammunition. It is also meant for students. This program simulates the storming and liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The students accomplish this with sniper attacks against the occupation soldiers, until they reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque and conquer it.
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"This program is an electronic game, but it is a virtual reality game that conveys the goals of the resistance to the students. The weapons of the resistance are simulated in the form of games.
"One game simulates the Shehab drone, conducting attacks inside the settlements of the Israeli occupation.
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"The poster that you can see depicts the stages in the development of the resistance. You can see the hand grenades and bombs that the Al-Qassam Brigades used to manufacture in the beginning. Here you can see how the resistance progressed from small bombs to bigger and better ones, all the way to rockets – Al-Qassam, Al-Battar, and the Yassin, which replaced the RPG. The resistance developed rockets.
"Here we can see the Qassam 1 rocket, and the other rockets of the resistance, one by one. This is the Qassam rocket. You can see the ranges of the rockets, all the way to the rocket that reached Tel Aviv. These are the rockets of the resistance, manufactured by Palestinians, members of Hamas and the Al-Qassam brigades. This is the Qassam M-75 that was fired at Tel Aviv and the forces of the occupation. It reached Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Lod, and Ramla.
"On the other side, you can see other weapons manufactured by the resistance. This is the Al-Ghoul sniper rifle that we all saw in one of our wars used against an Israeli soldier. This is the sniper rifle that is used by the Al-Qassam Brigades to confront the occupation. This is one of the drones used by the Al-Qassam Brigades. These drones that you see here entered Israel and photographed the occupied areas."
Student: "We Trust Hamas To Liberate Jerusalem In The Near Future"
Student: "We trust Hamas to liberate Jerusalem in the near future."
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Ismail Radwan: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This exhibition is in commemoration of the martyrdom of the 'General of the Resistance' Ahmad Jaabari Abu Muhammad, and it is dedicated to his soul. The exhibition is also a message to the occupation: We are moving forward on the path of the commander Abu Muhammad Jaabari, the path of resistance and building up power.
"[The exhibition] demonstrates the development in the capabilities of resistance and its ability in deterring the Zionist occupation. This is also a message of mobilization and preparation for this Palestinian generation – preparing the generation of Jerusalem and Palestine for liberating the prisoners and the Land of the Prophet's Night Journey."
