Families of American victims of Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, accuse Iran in lawsuit of supporting the largest genocide of Jews since the Holocaust, while criticizing the attack that killed 1,200 people accused the Islamic Republic of being directly involved. people.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of 250 families and survivors of the attack, alleges that Iran financed, planned and coordinated the attack with Hamas. The complaint names Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Also named in the lawsuit are Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The complaint details that Iran hosts a variety of terrorist groups aimed at destroying Israel.
“All of the atrocities committed by Hamas and its co-conspirators on October 7, 2023, were carried out with what our clients believe to be tactical and financial support from Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was unacceptable,” said anti-terrorism attorney John Eubanks, one of several prominent lawyers for the plaintiffs. “We are honored to be trusted by the families we represent to seek accountability and justice on their behalf within the U.S. judicial system.”
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Students and community members sang songs and shared stories at Israel's wake after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. (Fox News Digital)
The case stems from secret documents discovered in Gaza that lawyers say show the Revolutionary Guards funneled millions of dollars to Hamas. The lawsuit seeks damages under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and anti-terrorism laws.
Gary Osen, one of the attorneys involved in the case and who also represents victims of Nazi war crimes, told Fox News Digital that the lawsuit “is a direct result of Iran's involvement in the financing and planning of the October 7 attacks. However, this lawsuit is only the first step in a larger effort to hold publicly accountable all those who aided and abetted Hamas. do not have.”
“We will follow where the evidence leads,” he added.
The complaint includes documents from a 2022 meeting by Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Khalil al-Haya, and others to establish a link between Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in case war breaks out. A mutual defense agreement was quickly concluded.
A view of a poster depicting deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Iranian capital Tehran on August 13, 2024. Families of American victims of the October 7 attack are suing Iran over its role in the attack. (Fateme Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It also includes documents regarding Hamas' decision to request Iran to transfer $7 million a month to Hamas for “mobilization and preparation” for a “confrontation” with Israel. Other documents revealed a list of secret payments made by the Revolutionary Guards to Mr. Sinwar's personal discretionary fund for terrorist activities from 2014 to 2020.
In one document, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh suggested to Sinwar that Hamas could strengthen ties with Iran and Hezbollah by restoring ties with Syria, which is in the midst of a civil war, and suggested that Hamas could strengthen ties with Iran and Hezbollah by 2022. did that.
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Militants from Hamas' military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades during an anti-Israel military march in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. (Yousef Masoud/Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A memo from Hamas Supreme Leader Marwan Issa details the group's progress in strengthening ties with other Iranian proxies.
“We have come to the conclusion that if the Iranian and Lebanese resistance is to operate, it must send a clear message to Saeed Hassan Nasrallah. [Hezbollah] “We will face wars in the future, and we, the Hamas movement and al-Qassam (brigades), are fully prepared to participate,” the complaint said.
Al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of Hamas. Among the oddities revealed in the documents was that the brigade maintained a “human resources” department, which, among other things, provided its operatives with scholarships to pursue advanced degrees in Iran. .
In addition to the more than 40 Americans, including children, who were killed on October 7, 2023, Hamas took approximately 250 people hostage, including 12 Americans. The case also includes Americans who died fighting for the Israel Defense Forces in Hamas-held Gaza and northern Israel, which has come under repeated rocket attacks from another Iranian proxy group, Hezbollah.
Rally to commemorate Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2024, and the funeral of a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus. Iranians burn Israeli flags. April 5, 2024. . (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
“Our goal is to produce documents and prove with hard evidence, including Hamas' own documents, how Iran was directly involved in the financing and planning of the October 7 attacks.” said Naomi Weiser, whose son Roy was killed defending the Israeli border fence. Gaza. “It was a conscious choice by Iran to set fire to the Middle East and kill our son. That's one way.”
In October, Mr. Sinwar, Hamas's top leader and believed to be the mastermind behind the October 7 attack, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The plaintiffs include Yekiel Reiter, the father of Moshe Reiter, who was killed during fighting in Gaza in November 2023. Mr. Reiter was selected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be Israel's ambassador to the United States last week.
Terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar speaks from the podium at the rally. Israel announced Thursday that Mr. Sinwar had been killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. (Mohammed Talatene/Photo in partnership with Getty Images)
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Batia Spry, whose brother David was killed in the attack at the Nova Music Festival, said in a statement: “We believe those responsible must be held accountable and we believe that our efforts will continue to reflect what happened on October 7th. I hope this will contribute to the public's understanding of what happened.” “The attack was not a spontaneous event and Hamas did not act alone. As Hamas's own documents make clear, Iran helped finance and plan the attack. However, Iran provided the fuel.
Israel recently launched retaliatory airstrikes against Iran in October after Iran launched its own attacks targeting the Jewish state several weeks ago. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Israeli attack had degraded parts of Iran's nuclear program.
