'Axis of Evil'? Iran and North Korea providing weapons to Hamas, intelligence shows

Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that Nahal Brigade soldiers and Israeli special forces located terrorist infrastructure and precision missile production components in Daraj Tuffah in the northern Gaza Strip. The troops were operating under the direction of the IDF's Intelligence Directorate

The IDF said the weapons production site, which was located inside a 100-meter (328-foot) tunnel that was used by Hamas terrorists to produce precision guidance components to integrate into rockets, based on technological knowledge gained from Iran. 

The IDF said several terrorists were killed in close-quarters combat with the troops and in supporting air strikes during the targeted raids. 

While there is no evidence Hamas has used weapons with guidance systems yet, their presence and potential use would represent a significant upgrade in Hamas’ rocket systems. 

The IDF released photos of the rocket components being developed by Hamas, including engines and warheads for a guided cruise missile.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Hamas' rocket arsenal, compared to that of Hezbollah in the north, has been a lack of precision guidance components, making rocket attacks from Gaza much less effective. 

While Hamas does have very short-range guided munitions with drones and anti-tank missiles, both of those devices put the operator at significant risk of being exposed and ultimately targeted. 

Hezbollah and Iran have made no secret of Iran’s supply of guided missiles to the Shiite terror group in Lebanon. However, Israel has worked hard to prevent such systems from getting into the hands of Hamas. The presence of such components allegedly demonstrates that Israel’s blockade of Gaza, while effective, is not foolproof. 

At almost the same time, South Korean intelligence officials confirmed the presence of North Korean weapons in the Hamas weapons arsenal discovered by IDF soldiers in Gaza, the Voice of America news site reported last week. 

VOA made the announcement in its report detailing a lawsuit against North Korea being filed by U.S. victims of the Hamas Oct. 7 attack. 

Lt-Col. Idan Sharon-Kettler, deputy commander of the IDF's enemy equipment collection unit, said, “The rockets that we find, even the ones that are produced inside Gaza or the ones that are produced in Iran — all of the RPG-7s, for example — are using parts that come from North Korea.” 

According to Sharon-Kettler, the rocket engines being used for many RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) contain North Korean engines, which have a greater ability to “penetrate heavy armor.” 

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney and human rights activist, told VOA that North Korea knows that its weapons reach the Hamas terror organization.

“North Korea knows its weapons go to Iran, and Iran gives the weapons to Hamas,” Darshan-Leitner said, adding that North Korea's capital Pyongyang “never once warned Iran not to send the weapons to Hamas.”