Palestinian Authority’s manipulation of children: Martyrs marry the Virgins in Paradise
Dead teen terrorist wished for Martyrdom, wanted to marry “women from the world to come”
Terrorist to his mother before attack: “I’m going to the Dark-Eyed Maidens in Paradise, I want Martyrdom”
Father of teen terrorist: “[My son] is not the first Martyr and not the last, praise Allah… He always told me: ‘I want to die as a Martyr’”
Mother of dead terrorist: “For two months he’s been saying: I want to die as a Martyr”
Father of dead terrorist: Son’s Martyrdom is “bridal crown for entire people”
Mother congratulates dead terrorist son on his Martyrdom
Wife of a “Martyr”: “Don’t cry, he’s a groom”
The Palestinian Authority’s death message to Palestinian kids doesn’t get any clearer than this.
The above picture of a Palestinian boy with the PA map of “Palestine” painted on his face was posted by the PA’s Presidential Guard with the following text: “I will sacrifice my life for you, O my homeland” [PA Presidential Guard, Facebook page, Aug. 6, 2024].
Smiling and making a “V” for “victory” with his fingers, the boy seems unaware of the future the PA wants for him as a “Martyr.” Or, perhaps, he is already so deeply affected by the PA’s brainwashing that he actually believes he will be rewarded with 72 virgins in Paradise, as Palestinian Media Watch has documented.
The following are recent examples:
Dead teen terrorist wished for Martyrdom, wanted to marry “women from the world to come”
Intisar Nafea, aunt of terrorist Ashraf Nafea: “The women of the neighborhood wouldn’t agree to not have Martyr [children]. Praise Allah, [teen Martyr] Ashraf [Nafea] raises our heads up high. On Aug. 1, [2024,] he was supposed to turn 18 years old. I wanted to do a birthday for him. He said: “Get me married.” I said: “[You will have] 72 [Virgins] like your uncle.” He said: “Right. I don’t want to marry women from this world, I want to marry [women] from the world to come.”
[Official PA TV, July 23, 2024]
Dead terrorist to his mother: “I’m going to the Dark-Eyed Maidens in Paradise, I want Martyrdom”
Mother of terrorist Abd Al-Jabbar Al-Sabbagh: “He said to me: ‘Mom, this is the last week you’ll see me. That’s it, bid me farewell.’ I said: ‘Sweetie, why?’ He said: ‘That’s it, I feel I won’t remain much longer.’ I’m satisfied, I’m going to the Dark-Eyed Maidens in Paradise, I want Martyrdom.’ I said: ‘Allah will be satisfied with you.’ Martyrdom is beautiful, not everyone who seeks it merits it, but the farewell is difficult.”
[Official PA TV News, Aug. 3, 2024]
The Arabic word for Martyrdom is Shahada. Shahada also means “certificate.” A mother of a dead terrorist used a chilling wordplay when her terrorist son was killed while planning a terror attack, thereby not finishing his matriculation exams and not receiving his high school certificate:
“Bassel succeed and received Martyrdom (Shahada in Arabic -Ed.), which is more important than the certificate (also Shahada -Ed.) of the matriculation exams… Bassel succeeded, by Allah he succeeded. Everyone came to congratulate me – his friends and also his study friends.”
[WAFA, official PA news agency, July 29, 2024]
PMW has reported on this wordplay before, which was even turned into part of the PA’s message to students and their parents. When Palestinian teen terrorists got themselves killed while participating in the PA’s terror wave in 2015-16, the PA glorified them. Even though they missed their graduation certificate (Shahada), the families were told to “be proud of their Martyrdom (Shahada).” The PA summarized that “death as a Martyr is the path to excellence and greatness”:
“Sixteen [students] succeeded [in achieving] the Martyrdom (Shahada) of the homeland and withstanding its difficult tests, for death as a Martyr is the path to excellence and greatness, and the path of those who know how to reach the great victory...”
[WAFA (official PA news agency), July 11, 2016;
official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 12, 2016]
Accordingly, other families have proudly celebrated their children’s Martyrdom instead of their matriculation, and parents continue to celebrate the death of their children:
Father of teen terrorist: “[My son] is not the first Martyr and not the last, praise Allah… He always told me: ‘I want to die as a Martyr’”
Father of terrorist Khaled Al-Uruq: “[Khaled Al-Uruq] is not the first Martyr and not the last, praise Allah. He asked for [Martyrdom] and achieved it, praise Allah. He always told me: ‘I want to die as a Martyr.’ Praise Allah, [the conditions] were enabled and he achieved it.”
[Official PA TV, April 25, 2024]
Mother of dead terrorist: “For two months he’s been saying: I want to die as a Martyr”
Mother of terrorist Nimr Hamarsheh: “Nimr was happy like that, [because] he wants to die as a Martyr. For two months already he’s been saying: ‘Mom, I want to follow the footsteps of Ahmed, I want to go to Ahmed, I want to die as a Martyr.”
[Official PA TV News, July 3, 2024]
Terrorist Aref Al-Qaddumi’s relative Riyad Al-Ashqar: “His [Aref Al-Qaddumi] (i.e., terrorist, shot at Israeli forces) life was as follows: [He was] arrested more than once, wounded more than once, and finally his decision, his aspiration, his soul, and his morale [was] that he would die as a Martyr, and if he wants to die as a Martyr what will you tell him? Can you? No, the guy wants to die as a Martyr regardless. This is bay’ah (i.e., Muslim oath of allegiance), they say this is bay’ah. We swore allegiance to Allah about it.”
[Official PA TV News, Feb. 21, 2024]
There is no doubt that the PA message is a soaring success. Hundreds if not thousands have chosen death over life by becoming terrorists, and society is cheering – including parents, spouses, and other family members of dead terrorists:
Father of dead terrorist: Son’s Martyrdom is “bridal crown for entire people”, Martyrdom is “fate of the people”
Official PA TV newsreader: “The body of Martyr Ubeida Hassan Hamed (i.e., terrorist), 18 was laid to rest…”
Hassan Hamed, father of terrorist Ubeida Hassan Hamed: “Praise Allah, this is [a source of] pride and a crown on our heads... Praise Allah, this is mercy from our Lord to this people. This is a bridal crown for this entire people. This is the fate of the Palestinian people, directly from the ground to Paradise.”
[Official PA TV News, Jan. 29, 2024]
Brother of terrorist “Martyr”: He wanted “the Dark-Eyed Maidens of Paradise”
Brother of terrorist Uday Al-Zayyat “Abu Saqr”: “He would take care of all the household needs. I told him: “Go on and get married” … He told me: ‘Actually I want the Dark-Eyed Maidens of Paradise.’ Praise Allah, Allah granted him Paradise, Allah willing he will see the Dark-Eyed Maidens of Paradise.”
[Official PA TV, Moons of Palestine, March 19, 2024]
Mother congratulates dead terrorist son on his Martyrdom
Mother of terrorist Bashar Nihad Hanani: “Praise Allah, Allah gave him to me and took him. This is not a waste for the sake of Palestine… May Allah be satisfied with him and receive his Martyrdom. Congratulations to him on the Martyrdom.”
[Official PA TV, Feb. 29, 2024]
Wife of a “Martyr”: “Don’t cry, he’s a groom”
Posted text: “Martyr’s wife: ‘All of you make sounds of joy for him. Don’t cry, he’s a groom and let everyone accompany him to his wedding.’”
Wife of unidentified “Martyr”: “I’m the wife of a Martyr! They haven't accompanied him to his wedding, let everyone accompany him to his wedding [now]. I married him quietly. Let everyone make sounds of joy, this is entrusted to you! Let no one cry! My husband is a Martyr, let no one cry! My beloved is a Martyr.”
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page,
Jan. 3, 2024]
The following are longer excerpts of the statements above and additional information on the terrorists
“In the home of Bassel Ghazawi (i.e., Islamic Jihad terrorist, killed with accomplices while planning an attack), a student from the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank who studied for high school matriculation exams, his mother Abir waited nervously for the arrival of the results sheet from the [PA] Ministry of Education and Higher Education. This was in spite of her knowing that he did not pass the exam, because the Israeli occupation assassinated him and his dream on Jan. 30, [2024,] when he was lying in a bed in the Ibn Sina Hospital.
Bassem was preparing for the matriculation exams when he was seriously wounded from the shrapnel of a missile fired by an Israeli drone on a group of young people in the refugee camp on Oct. 25, 2023 (refers to terrorists who shot and threw explosives at Israeli forces -Ed.). As a result of this, he was partially paralyzed and set out on a long road of treatment, but a special force of the occupation (i.e., Israeli) army assassinated him together with his brother Muhammad [Ghazawi] and their friend Muhammad Jalamneh in his room at the hospital (the terrorists were using the hospital as a hideout to plan an imminent attack -Ed.).
The mourning mother’s tears flowed immediately with the arrival of the results sheet from the Ministry of Education. She noted that her son Bassel dreamed a lot about success in the matriculation exams, and attempted to join his friends in study in spite of his serious wound…
She added: ‘Today is very difficult for me. I can’t describe how I feel. I waited 12 years so that Bassel would reach the matriculation exams. They took him from me and prevented him from realizing his dreams. They murdered him before he realized any of his dreams.’ …
The Martyr’s mother said: ‘Bassel succeed and received a Martyrdom (Shahada in Arabic -Ed.) that is more important than the certificate (also Shahada -Ed.) of the matriculation exams.’ She added: ‘Bassel succeeded, by Allah he succeeded. Everyone came to congratulate me – his friends and also his study friends. I will distribute sweets on the occasion of the success of all his friends. All the children of the refugee camp who succeeded [in the exams] are my children. All of them are like Bassel.’”
[WAFA, official PA news agency, July 29, 2024]
Bassel Ghazawi, Muhammad Ghazawi, Muhammad Jalamneh
Muhammad Awad “Abu Abd,” Ashraf Nafea, and Muhammad Badi’
Abd Al-Jabbar Al-Sabbagh, Haitham Bleidi, Ahmed Mahajneh, Ali Khalil, and Jamal Abu Haniyeh
Nimr Hamarsheh, Muhammad Hassan Ghanem, Muhammad Yasser Shehadeh, Yazid Al-Shafi
“Ahmed” was Nimr’s brother who died as a “Martyr,” PMW was unable to determine the circumstances of his death.