Pictures posted on the Hamas-affiliated Palestine Information Center Web site showed masked women, dressed in military fatigues and armed with Kalashnikov rifles and pistols, receiving training at a secret location in the Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas, the women were being trained in planting roadside bombs, firing rockets and mortars and infiltrating Jewish settlements.

"Jihad has been imposed on all Muslims, males and females alike," one of the women explained. "This is particularly true in Palestine, and here we are obeying the call for jihad. We have the honor to compete with men in the jihad."

Some of the women said they were married and had children. "Our husbands know that we are members of Izzaddin Kassam," said one.

"As for those who are not married, their brothers and fathers know about their activities. The husbands and brothers of most of the women are also members of the armed wing of Hamas."