Families of American victims of the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and those killed in combat in Gaza have filed a lawsuit against Iran, accusing it of backing the massacre, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The lawsuit, submitted to the US District Court in Washington, outlines Iran’s financial and logistical support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations dedicated to Israel’s destruction.
Central to the case are documents obtained from Hamas, including evidence of a December 2022 meeting in which Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's Gaza leader at the time, sought $7 million monthly from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to fund the October 7 attack, code-named the "big project."
The lawsuit highlights Iran’s coordination role through the IRGC in connecting Hamas with other groups, such as Hezbollah, in planning the assault. The United States has designated Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as foreign terrorist organizations.
Families involved in the case represent Americans who were killed, injured, or traumatized by the October 7 attack which left 46 Americans dead, including children, and saw approximately 250 hostages taken, among them 12 US citizens.
The legal action also addresses the deaths of over 30 American-Israeli soldiers who died fighting for the IDF.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act. Prominent attorneys Gary M. Osen and Lee Wolosky are leading the case.
This past February, at least 66 Israeli-American victims, or Israelis who have a close American relative who was injured, kidnapped or murdered in Hamas’ October 7 massacre, filed a lawsuit in a New York Federal Court demanding that Iran pay them one billion dollars in compensation for the murders and for the physical and mental harm.
Terror victims have sued Iran in the past on US soil. In 2016, the US Supreme Court determined that Iran would have to compensate families of victims of attacks linked to the Islamic Republic.
Iran, in response, filed a lawsuit against the United States in the International Court of Justice.