Hamas attack on Israel exposes ‘direct and indirect’ military links with North Korea, says South

Name: Israel declares war after Hamas launches surprise attack, killing hundreds of people
Uploaded: 2023-10-18T23:30:12.000Z
Duration: 4 min 30 s
Description: Israel declares war after Hamas launches surprise attack, killing hundreds of people

Hamas used weapons which bore North Korean markings and employed attack methods similar to Pyongyang’s modus operandi, South Korea’s JCS official says

Some analysts say it is an open secret the North’s weapons have been flowing into Hamas for years, with Iran or Syria acting as transit terminals

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Weapons belonging to Hamas militants lie on the ground at the Kfar Aza Kibbutz, Israel, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7. Photo: EPA-EFE

Park Chan-kyong

Published: 7:30am, 19 Oct 2023

Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel has exposed the Palestine militant group’s “direct and indirect links” with North Korea, with the weapons used in the raid “highly likely” to have come from Pyongyang and passed through intermediaries including Iran, South Korean authorities warned.

A senior official at the military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Tuesday said the JCS believed Hamas and North Korea were connected in various fields including arms deals, military tactics and training.

Pyongyang could also use Hamas’ attack methods to mount similar assaults on South Korea, said the official who spoke anonymously.

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Israel declares war after Hamas launches surprise attack, killing hundreds of people

During the October 7 assault that blindsided Israel, Hamas used anti-tank weapon F-7s, which appeared to be another name for North Korea’s RPG-7 rockets, while 122mm multiple rocket launcher shells found near the Israeli border reportedly had the Korean language marking “Bang-122”, an indication that the shells originated from the North.

“This suggests that North Korea continues to export various weapons to Middle Eastern countries and armed groups,” the official said.

While there was no evidence the weapons were directly exported from the North to Hamas, the official said it was “highly likely” they could have passed through neighbouring countries and other militant groups to Hamas.

Military experts this week said photos from the conflict showed Hamas militants could be using North Korean weapons, including possible F-7 rocket-propelled grenades.

There have been reports of Hamas using the F-7 for several years, according to Bruce Bechtol, a professor at Angelo State University in Texas, who has researched on North Korea’s arms sales.