Nitsana Darshan Leitner, an Israeli lawyer and human rights activist who represents the families of Americans killed and injured in the October 7 Hamas attack, told Voice of America News (VOA). He said he plans to sue the North Korean government for supplying weapons to Palestinian terrorists.
Darshan Leitner said North Korea was “knowingly and knowingly” giving weapons to Iran for distribution to Hamas, and that the regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran therefore “responsible for the casualties caused on October 7. I have a responsibility.”
in interview On VOA's Korean broadcast recorded on Dec. 27, Darshan-Leitner said there are currently 10 Americans who are “including families who lost loved ones and U.S. citizens who suffered injuries and property damage in the attack.” He said he was representing a person. She expects more American victims to join the lawsuit, possibly including released hostages currently being held by Hamas.
“More than 30 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, were killed in the attack, which marked the latest wave of violence between Hamas and Israel,” VOA noted.
Darshan Leitner acknowledged that plaintiffs face a difficult “burden” to “prove their case,” but said her team has “experts who know North Korea well” and that its weapons are He said he was familiar with how it “ended up in the hands of Hamas.” ”
Within two weeks of the Hamas attack, South Korean officials and international experts said weapons captured from the terrorists included North Korean F-7 shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
The F-7 is a popular item among terrorists and rebels in the Middle East because it is a redesign of the former Soviet RPG, making it a more destructive weapon against humans rather than vehicles. The F-7 rocket grenade has a distinctive red stripe to distinguish it from anti-armor weapons.
“North Korea has been supporting Palestinian armed groups for many years, and there have been previous records of North Korean weapons being included among the confiscated supplies,” said NR Jenzen, a weapons expert at the Arms Research Service.・Mr. Jones stated. Said The Associated Press reported in October.
Hamas itself has released propaganda images of its fighters dragging North Korean anti-tank missiles, and some of the October 7 suicide squads were equipped with North Korean versions of Russia's famous Kalashnikov assault rifles. .
“Many North Korean-made weapons are provided to extremist groups by Iran, and this is believed to be the primary means by which Palestinian extremists acquire North Korean-made weapons,” Jenzen-Jones said. It pre-empted Darshan Leitner's planned claim. In her lawsuit.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in November announced The stockpile of weapons and vehicles seized from Hamas terrorists included a large number of Kalashnikov variants and RPGs. Much of the weapons were supplied by North Korea.
WATCH — Israel displays weapons used by Hamas terrorists in October 7 attack:
Joel B. Pollack/Breitbart News
Hamas official Said Lebanese news agencies said in November that North Korea is “part of our alliance” and claimed that North Korea may be prepared to launch a nuclear attack against the United States to protect Hamas.
“Today, all of America's enemies, or all those who are hostile to America, are getting closer and closer. Now we are hearing from Russia almost every day. China has a special envoy in Doha. “China and Russia met with Hamas leaders. A Hamas delegation visited Moscow, and a delegation is scheduled to visit Beijing soon,” the official said.
VOA noted that it is theoretically possible to sue North Korea for supporting Hamas, as it has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism since 2017 and has been sued several times since then.
In 2018, a federal court in Washington, D.C. awarded $500 million in damages to the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American student who died after being abducted and imprisoned by the North Korean regime. $2.2 million of the award was recovered in October 2023 from frozen funds in a Russian bank account used by Air Koryo, North Korea's national airline.
VOA Korea Broadcasting Service attempted to request a statement from North Korea's mission to the United Nations regarding the possibility of Hamas victims' lawsuits, but received no response.
