North Korea says Israel bombed Gaza hospital, calls US 'accomplice'

North Korean state media has often argued against Western views, especially those of the United States, on international issues. It also routinely lashes out at the United States.

 People are seen outside the area of Al-Ahli hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, in Gaza City, October 18, 2023 (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED AL-MASRI)
People are seen outside the area of Al-Ahli hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, in Gaza City, October 18, 2023
(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED AL-MASRI)

North Korea's foreign ministry accused Israel of bombing a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Oct 17., saying it had openly committed a war crime "under the undisguised patronage of the United States."

In a statement carried on state-run news agency KCNA, a ministry spokesman also blamed the United States for "giving Israel a green light to massacre Palestinians without any worries" by supplying it with weapons and military support, including deploying aircraft carriers in the Middle East.

"This shows that the US is an accomplice who connived at and fostered Israel's genocide," the spokesman said. The foreign ministry statement did not give any evidence to support its comments.

North Korean state media has often argued against Western views, especially those of the United States, on international issues. It also routinely lashes out at the United States.

North Korea's support for Hamas is evident

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said 471 people were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital earlier this month. Palestinians and Arab states said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital.

 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 8, 2023. (credit: KCNA VIA REUTERS)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 8, 2023. (credit: KCNA VIA REUTERS)

Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by Hamas, a Palestinian militant Islamic Jihad group, which has denied responsibility.

A US official said on Tuesday that US intelligence officials have "high confidence" that the explosion was caused by a Palestinian rocket that broke up mid-flight, and not by Israel.

There is still uncertainty around the death toll from the hospital blast and the number of injuries, US officials said.