The Jerusalem District Court has ordered Karim Khan, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to pay NIS 25 million in damages to Eitan Mor and the families of Avinatan Or and Omri Miran, who were abducted by Hamas.
Judge Eran Shilo issued the default judgment after Khan failed to file a defense, despite having been duly served with the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2025, while Eitan Mor, Avinatan Or and Omri Miran were still being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All three were released about two months after it was filed.
The lawsuit centered on the allegation that Khan's conduct in his role at the court in The Hague contributed to the hostages' continued captivity. The families alleged that he refrained from taking legal action against Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures whom they held responsible for holding the hostages.
According to the lawsuit, Khan waited eight months before seeking arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders: Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. It further alleged that he linked those applications to requests for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The plaintiffs also noted that Khan refrained from seeking arrest warrants for additional senior Hamas officials and Islamic Jihad leaders, including figures who were outside the Gaza Strip and involved in conducting negotiations with Israel.
The families argued that his failure to act against those figures allowed the terrorist organizations to continue holding the hostages. The lawsuit also alleged that Khan drew an improper moral equivalence between Israel and the terrorist organizations, and that his decisions were influenced by extraneous considerations.
The damages were awarded by default due to Khan's absence, rather than following a full examination of both sides' arguments in evidentiary proceedings.