A group of Americans has filed a lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia, accusing Iran, Syria, and North Korea of providing material support to Hamas for its mass murder of nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The lawsuit represents U.S. citizens who were injured or killed during Hamas' invasion, which resulted in the deaths of over 30 Americans.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the law firm Crowell & Moring LLP jointly filed the lawsuit, alleging that Iran, Syria, and North Korea supported Hamas in committing atrocities in Israel. ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt emphasized the need to hold these state sponsors of terrorism accountable for their roles in the attack, which he described as the largest antisemitic incident since the Holocaust.
According to sources, Iranian regime-backed proxies were responsible for the invasion, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei playing a central role in supporting Hamas. The lawsuit claims that Iran, Syria, and North Korea provided military, tactical, and financial assistance to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization by the U.S.
The legal action seeks to hold these state sponsors accountable under the Terrorism Exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The ADL highlighted the challenges victims may face in enforcing judgments against foreign countries that sponsor terrorism, noting the importance of the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund for providing relief to victims.
The lawsuit targets Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind behind the attack, who is reportedly hiding in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. ADL's senior director of national litigation, James Pasch, emphasized the precedent of holding state sponsors responsible for supporting terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens.
The lawsuit covers various Hamas massacres in southern Israel, including the Nova Music Festival and several kibbutz locations. One plaintiff, Nahar Neta, shared the story of his mother, a victim of the attack, expressing the hope that the case will bring some sense of justice and shed light on Hamas' terror activities.
Additionally, American victims of the Oct. 7 massacre have sued the U.N. agency UNRWA for allegedly providing material assistance to Hamas terrorists, further complicating the legal landscape surrounding the tragic events.
