Israel: "Hamas used North Korean weapons in the October 7 attack"

An IDF soldier points to a suspected North Korean rocket-propelled grenade (with the distinctive red stripe) | Image: IDF

According to video footage and weapons analysis carried out by experts, Hamas extremists, probablyused North Korean weapons in a coordinated attack on southern Israel on October 7, although Pyongyang denies supplying weapons to the Palestinian organization.

The video was analyzed by two experts on North Korean weapons. Combined with South Korean military intelligence data and Associated Press analysis of weapons seized in the field attacksit turns out that Hamas used North Korean F-7 – portable and reusable rocket launchers.

#Palestine / #Israel 🇵🇸🇮🇱: ISF released photos of captured weapons from Al-Qassam Brigades (#HAMAS) fighters.

A noteable F-7 HE-Frag rocket (made by #NorthKorea/#DPRK 🇰🇵), YM-2 anti-tank landmines (made by #Iran 🇮🇷), RPG-7 Launchers, PG-7V rockets, PG-7VR Tandem rockets, Chinese… pic.twitter.com/ud5oO8qIjE

— War Noir (@war_noir) October 11, 2023

The ISF published photographs of weapons seized from Al-Qassam Brigades (#HAMAS) militants. The pictures show F-7 HE-Frag missiles (made in #NorthKorea/#DPRK), YM-2 anti-tank mines (made in #Iran), RPG-7 launchers, PG-7V missiles, PG-7VR tandem missiles, Chinese machine guns Type 80 rifles, Type 56-1 rifles and M26A2 hand grenades made by Hamas.

“North Korea has long supported Palestinian armed organizations, and its weapons were previously included in the list of prohibited weapons,” – writes Associated Press. In the past, Hamas has posted images in its extremist training exercises that showed a rocket launcher with a distinctive red stripe and other design elements consistent with the F-7, adds Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher at the Small Arms Survey who wrote a guide to Pyongyang’s light weapons.

“It’s no surprise that North Korean weapons are showing up in Hamas.” – he says. Videos and photographs periodically released by Hamas show its fighters using a North Korean Bulsae guided anti-tank missile, as well as a Type 58 assault rifle, a North Korean version of the Kalashnikov, Jensen said.

NEW: Weapons apparently produced by North Korea were likely used by Hamas in its offensive against Israel, expert analysis of photos published by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and independent media reveal.https://t.co/uzYxfA3Tir

— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) October 13, 2023

What the AP analysis showed. Hamas video footage reviewed by The Associated Press shows a militant with an F-7 grenade launcher. The weapon, captured by the Israeli army and presented to journalists, also has a red stripe and other design elements related to F-7 grenade launchers. However, the South Korean General Staff, in a briefing for reporters on Tuesday, also specifically named the F-7 among the North Korean weapons it believed were used by Hamas in the attack.

When asked by the AP about the origin and manufacturer of these missiles, the Israeli military refused to answer, saying that while the war with Hamas continues, such information is not available.

However, last week Pyongyang, through state news agency KCNA, rejected “unfounded and erroneous” US-provoked allegations of Hamas using its weapons.

North Korea has come under criticism from the West because it is believed to be supplying ammunition, artillery shells and missiles to the Russian military fighting in Ukraine. As the White House stated last week, North Korea recently delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment to Russia.

On some tg channels write that the story with North Korea was deliberately introduced to divert public attention from American weapons, which ended up in the hands of Hamas militants. The sources of these weapons are various, ranging from Ukraine to Afghanistan, where the United States left weapons and military equipment worth many tens of billions of dollars.

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