Hamas likely used North Korean weapons in attack on Israel – AP

Hamas militants have likely used North Korean weapons in their attack on Israel.

Source: Associated Press (AP), referring to sources in South Korea, experts on North Korean weapons captured by Israel on the battlefield, and videos by militants

Details: South Korean officials, two experts on North Korean weapons, and an Associated Press analysis of weapons captured by Israel on the battlefield indicated that Hamas was using a Pyongyang-made F-7 grenade launcher, a shoulder-fired weapon that militants typically use against armoured vehicles.

Quote from AP: "The evidence shines a light on the murky world of the illicit arms shipments that sanction-battered North Korea uses as a way to fund its own conventional and nuclear weapons programs.

Rocket-propelled grenade launchers fire a single warhead and can be quickly reloaded, making them valuable weapons for guerrilla forces in running skirmishes with heavy vehicles."

More details: Experts interviewed by the news agency said the F-7s have been observed in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The AP reports that the North Korean F-7 resembles the more common Soviet RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, with a few notable differences.

The weapons captured by the Israeli forces and shown to journalists also seem to be the F-7s.

During a briefing for journalists, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned the F-7s as one of the North Korean weapons it believes Hamas used in the attack.

The Israeli military refused to answer AP's questions on the origin and manufacturer of these grenade launchers, saying "the ongoing war with Hamas prevented it from responding".

North Korea's mission to the UN did not respond to AP's request for comment. However, last week, Pyongyang, through its state-run KCNA news agency, dismissed reports that Hamas had used its weapons as "a groundless and false rumor" orchestrated by the United States.

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