IDF says military leaders are approving plans for ground operation in Gaza to eradicate Hamas

Iran-backed terror group Hamas likely used North Korean weapons during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, analysis and various evidence, including a militant video and weapons seized by Israel, now show, according to the Associated Press.

A video of Hamas terrorists using a F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, allegedly made by North Korea, is at the center of the controversy after the country denied selling arms to the terrorist group. The shoulder-fired weapon fires a single warhead and can be quickly reloaded, making them ideal for attacks against armored vehicles.

The video of the men with the North Korean-made weapon was confirmed through analysis by two experts on North Korean arms and South Korean military intelligence, according to the AP, who also conducted an analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield.

“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 included 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 AP.

State-affiliated outlet Korean Central News Agency published a full-throated repudiation of military experts claiming there is evidence North Korean weapons are being used by Hamas.

“The U.S. administration’s reptile press bodies and quasi-experts are spreading a groundless and false rumor that ‘North Korea’s weapons’ seemed to be used for the attack on Israel,” wrote North Korean international affairs commentator Ri Kwang-song.

“It is nothing but a bid to shift the blame for the Middle East crisis caused by its wrong hegemonic policy onto a third country and thus evade the international criticism focused on the empire of evil.”

Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard and the Associated Press contributed to this update.