A major lawsuit has been filed in the United States by victims of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Iran, Syria and North Korea. The complaint, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuses the three countries of providing material support to Hamas, facilitating the attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and led to the taking of 251 others hostage.
Organized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the law firm Crowell & Moring LLP, the lawsuit includes 125 plaintiffs seeking at least $4 billion in damages. According to the ADL, it is the largest lawsuit against foreign countries related to the Oct. 7 attack, and the first to be sponsored by a Jewish organization.
The plaintiffs include U.S. citizens injured in the attack, as well as relatives and estates of the victims. Among them is Nahar Neta, whose California-born mother Adrienne was a victim of the attack at Kibbutz Be’eri. “While nothing can ever erase the unbearable pain Hamas has caused our family, we hope this case will provide some sense of justice,” he said. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt emphasized the importance of the lawsuit: “Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of anti-Semitism and terror—along with Syria and North Korea, they must be held accountable for their roles in the largest anti-Semitic attack since the Holocaust.”
The lawsuit relies on the United States’ designation of Iran, Syria, and North Korea as state sponsors of terrorism. It accuses these countries of providing financial, military, and tactical support to Hamas. The lawsuit represents not only a quest for justice for the victims and their families, but also an attempt to shine a spotlight on these countries’ alleged role in supporting international terrorism. It could have significant diplomatic and legal implications, while reigniting debate over state responsibility for supporting terrorist groups.
