The Hamas terrorists that carried out a barbaric assault in Israel on Oct. 7 likely used North Korean weapons, analysis and various evidence including a militant video and weapons seized by Israel now show. North Korea has previously denied selling arms to the terrorist group.
One weapon at the center of the controversy, used by Hamas, is the F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armored vehicles.
A video of Hamas terrorists using the F-7 rocket launcher has been confirmed through analysis by two experts on North Korean arms and South Korean military intelligence. The Associated Press also conducted an analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield.
These rocket launchers fire a single warhead and can be quickly reloaded, making them valuable weapons for smaller militias and guerrilla forces running skirmishes against heavy vehicles.
“It is not a surprise to see North Korean weapons with Hamas,” said Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher with Small Arms Survey who wrote a guide to Pyongyang’s light weapons.
In addition to the F-7 rocket launcher, Hamas propaganda videos and photos have shown its fighters with North Korea’s Bulsae guided anti-tank missile.
Hamas also used North Korea’s Type 58 self-loading rifle, a variant of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, according to N.R. Jenzen-Jones, a weapons expert who works as the director of the consultancy Armament Research Services.
Jenzen-Jones cited imagery of the weapons wielded by Hamas terrorists. “North Korea has long supported Palestinian militant groups, and North Korean arms have previously been documented amongst interdicted supplies,” Jenzen-Jones told The Associated Press.
Russia uses similar weaponry and the North Korean F-7 resembles a widely distributed Soviet-era RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade, but has a few noticeable differences including a distinctive red stripe across its warhead.
Hamas has published images of their training that show fighters with a weapon with a rocket-propelled grenade with the red stripe, and other design elements matching the F-7, Schroeder said.
