Hamas armed wing launches recruitment drive in Gaza

The armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas has launched a recruitment drive to boost its numbers.

“We are opening the door to Gaza’s youth; those who want to join us know how to find us,” a masked spokesperson for the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades told a festival organised by Hamas in Gaza City’s Shujaya district organised on Thursday.

The festival was organised to celebrate the group’s steadfastness in the fact of Israel’s bloody 51-day assault on Gaza, which saw more than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and over 70 Israelis, mostly soldiers, killed.

“Qassam’s men and arsenal…are ready for any contingency,” the spokesperson said.

The announcement came one month after the group said it had begun training a "popular army" to defend the strip from future Israeli attacks, reportedly enlisting thousands of young men in the Gaza Strip.

A brigades source told Anadolu Agency earlier that enlisted men would initially be trained in the use of light arms before moving on to more advanced weaponry.

Flyers have been hung on the walls of local mosques, calling on young men to join the "popular army" in preparation for any possible conflict with Israel.