US victims of October 7 attacks sue Iran, Syria and North Korea over alleged Hamas support

(CNN) — A leading antisemitism watchdog on Monday filed a lawsuit in US federal court on behalf of more than 100 victims of the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel, and their families, accusing Iran, Syria and North Korea of providing material support to Hamas.

If successful, the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Washington, DC, on Monday by Jewish advocacy group the Anti-Defamation League and the Crowell & Moring law firm, could unlock federal funds designated for victims of state-sponsored terrorism if the plaintiffs can prove their case.

“This landmark litigation… is really about holding accountable the Islamic Republic as well as Syria and North Korea for the role that they played in providing finances and training and, of course, munitions to Hamas, enabling the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and National Director of the ADL, told CNN.

The lawsuit lays out publicly available evidence of Iran, Syria and North Korea’s alleged history of support for Hamas: training, weapons and financial support from Iran; training and financing from Syria; and weapons and tunnel-digging know-how from North Korea.

The lawsuit alleges that Hamas could not have carried out the October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,200 people and led to the abduction of more than 250 others, without the support of these countries.

Iran has been a longtime ally of Hamas, providing financial and military support to the group. The month after the attacks, a document recovered from a computer found inside a Hamas pickup truck outside Gaza, obtained by CNN from Israeli officials, showed Iran was seeking to provide technical training that would help Hamas produce its own weaponry.

The 2015 Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act established the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, whose funds can be disbursed to victims and the families of deceased victims following the ruling of a US district court.

Greenblatt acknowledged that it is unlikely that any of these three countries will respond to the allegations in federal court, but said he views the lawsuit as a critical step to not only seek accountability for their support for Hamas, but also to counter efforts by some anti-Israel activists to deny the horrific nature of the October 7 attack.

The plaintiffs in the case are more than 100 US citizens and their families who were killed or wounded in the October 7 attacks at the Nova music festival and in several of the kibbutzes and towns near the Gaza Strip.

One of the plaintiffs, Nahar Neta, is the son of California native Adrienne Neta, who was killed during Hamas’ attack on Kibbutz Be’eri.

“While nothing will ever undo the unbearable pain Hamas caused our family or the brutal losses we’ve suffered, we hope this case will bring some sense of justice. It’s important for us to be able to tell our stories so the world can hear how Hamas has terrorized Israel, the Jewish people, and many American citizens,” Neta said in a statement issued through the ADL.

“My mom devoted her life to caring for others regardless of race or religious beliefs. She was a peace and justice seeker who was active in many civilian efforts to bridge the gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel.”

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