- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 14 Aug 2025 07:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
At first glance, it could have been any children’s TV show, a giant mouse with a goofy grin, a floppy-eared bunny bouncing across a bright set, cheerful songs filling the air. To a child, it looked like a world of fun and friendship. But for kids in Gaza between 2007 and 2009, Tomorrow’s Pioneers was something far more sinister. he show wrapped dangerous messages in playful packaging, using lovable animal characters to teach hatred, celebrate martyrdom, and romanticise violence. Beneath the laughter and music was a calculated plan to shape the hearts and minds of the youngest viewers into the fighters of tomorrow.
The show was called Tomorrow’s Pioneers, promoted as an educational program meant to teach Islamic values, a kind of Sesame Street for the Middle East. Yet instead of simple morals or playful adventures, it delivered weekly doses of militant propaganda. Songs were laced with talk of martyrdom, skits portrayed violence against Jews as heroic, and beloved animal characters spoke openly about “liberating Jerusalem” through bloodshed.
What looked like harmless children’s entertainment on the surface was, in reality, shaping young minds for a life in conflict. The children who grew up watching it are now young men, some of whom took part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken.
Farfour The “Jihadi Mouse”
One of the most infamous characters was Farfour, a Mickey Mouse lookalike with a much darker mission. Speaking in a soft, child-friendly voice, Farfour told his young audience that together they would “liberate Jerusalem from the murderers” and achieve Islamic world domination. On screen, he mimicked throwing grenades and firing assault rifles.
In one storyline, Farfour was beaten to death by Israeli soldiers. His death was followed by the introduction of other militant animal characters.
Nahoul The Revenge-Seeking Bumblebee
Farfour’s replacement, Nahoul, may have been a bumblebee in costume, but his language was anything but sweet. He promised to “liberate Al-Aqsa from the filth of the criminal Jews” and take revenge “upon the enemies of God.” Later, viewers watched as Nahoul fell ill, was denied travel for treatment in Egypt, and died.
Children appeared on the show declaring their wish to die as martyrs, while songs praised sacrifice and violence. Mia Bloom, a terrorism expert, called Tomorrow’s Pioneers “a form of child abuse” and “long-term manipulation.” She argued that it shaped an entire generation to see violence not just as an option, but as a duty, similar to recruitment methods used by groups like the Taliban and ISIS.
In 2009, after pressure from Israeli watchdogs, Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouthi called for the show’s suspension. But despite the international criticism, it continued to air on Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa TV. The show’s child co-host, Saraa Barhoum, who was about 10 years old when the series began, told reporters in 2007 that she dreamed of becoming either a doctor or a martyr.