Hamas weapons, tactics resemble those of NK: JCS

The South Korean military has assessed that the fighting doctrine and tactics utilized by Hamas might be linked to North Korea, citing their resemblance in its analysis of the battlefield tactics employed by the Palestinian militant group during last weekend's attack on Israel.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday presented its interim evaluation of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which was initiated by Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

"Our assessment of the situation has unveiled both direct and indirect ties between Hamas and North Korea, spanning various aspects including arms trade, tactics, doctrine and training," the JCS stated in its evaluation.

The South Korean military has concluded that North Korea may have contributed to Hamas, an organization classified as a terrorist group by the United States and other Western countries, in preparing for a large-scale attack employing distinct tactics different from those used in previous battlefields.

Hamas had previously employed tactics that centered around hit-and-run attacks, as well as engaging in small-scale conflicts and rocket attacks.

However, over the past weekend, Hamas carried out unexpected attacks during holiday periods. They launched a significant number of rockets to overpower Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. In addition, Hamas conducted drone attacks that led to the destruction of various surveillance, communication and fire control systems along the border. Subsequently, they executed multi-front infiltration and engaged in attacks across sea, land and air.

"Hamas' attack methods resemble the 'asymmetric attack pattern' we anticipate from North Korea. Therefore, we presume that there is a possibility of North Korea transferring tactics and doctrine, as well as providing training support based on this observation," the JCS said.

North Korea has faced constraints regarding covert ground infiltration, largely due to South Korea's deployment of an unmanned border security system in the mid-2010s according to the JCS. In response, North Korea has intensified its training for aerial infiltration using paragliders.

For instance, in December 2016, under the direct guidance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the country publicly conducted exercises involving paragliders with the South Korean presidential office as the target.

The South Korean military expressed concerns, emphasizing that there is a possibility of such expertise being transferred to Hamas, which utilized paragliders to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The South Korean military did not provide concrete evidence and intelligence that could prove the direct link between Hamas and North Korea. Nevertheless, the military suggested the possibility of an indirect interaction.

"North Korea has substantial and active interactions with several Middle Eastern countries and various armed groups that have close relationships with Hamas," one JCS official, who wished to remain anonymous, said during a closed-door briefing.

The official cited Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite organization, as examples.

"Consequently, there is a possibility that (the doctrine and tactics) could have been indirectly passed on to Hamas and subsequently adopted by them, taking into account these dynamics."