Hamas and North Korea are reportedly negotiating a secret arms deal

According to unnamed Western security forces, Hamas officials are brokering an arms deal with North Korea.

The deal would provide Hamas militants with missiles as well as communications equipment to be used against Israel, The Telegraph reports. Security officials told The Telegraph that the deal is "worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

An unspecified Lebanese trading company with "close ties" to Hamas is handling the deal. The Telegraph reports that Hamas officials are believed to have made an initial payment to North Korea.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

"Hamas is looking for ways to replenish its stocks of missiles because of the large numbers it has fired at Israel in recent weeks," a security official told The Telegraph. "North Korea is an obvious place to seek supplies because Pyongyang already has close ties with a number of militant Islamist groups in the Middle East."