NK blames Israel over Gaza hospital blast

Palestinians walk by buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment on al-Zahra, on the outskirts of Gaza City, Oct. 20. AP-Yonhap

North Korea on Thursday accused Israel of conducting a deadly explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip and lambasted the United States over its "undisguised patronage" of such an act.

The North's belated criticism of the incident came after hundreds of people died in the Oct. 17 bombing at the al-Ahli Hospital in the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

While Hamas has accused Israel of carrying out the strike, Israel has claimed it was caused by a botched Islamic Jihad rocket launch. U.S. President Joe Biden echoed the view during his visit to Israel, attributing the explosion to a "terrorist group."

"What should not be overlooked is that Israel's such criminal act was openly committed under the undisguised patronage of the U.S," a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said in an English-language statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

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The official slammed Washington for being an "accomplice" to Israel's "hideous war crime."

"Immediately after the bombing of the hospital by Israel, the U.S. covered such crime, making absurd sophism that the incident seemed to be committed by other forces rather than Israel," the official said. "This shows that the U.S. is an accomplice who connived at and fostered Israel's genocide."

North Korea on Monday accused the U.S. of being behind the Israel-Hamas war, saying Washington is "entirely" responsible for the tragedy.

Earlier this month, the North denounced Israel over the conflict, saying it is the "consequence of Israel's ceaseless criminal actions" against the people of Palestine.

It also denied as "groundless" that the Hamas militant group used North Korean weapons for its surprise attack on Israel, accusing Washington of cooking up false accusations. (Yonhap)