Fifty-four families with American citizenship, some of whom also hold Israeli citizenship and were affected by the massacre on October 7th, have filed a half-billion-dollar lawsuit against Iran in the Federal District Court in Washington, stating that Iran funded, armed, aided, and supported Hamas, the terrorist organization responsible for the October 7th massacre, with tens of millions of dollars. The lawsuit was filed for the physical and psychological damages suffered by the plaintiffs and/or their family members at the Nova Festival, Sderot, Zikim, Kissufim, and other locations.
The plaintiffs and their families are represented by the law firm of Dr. Gideon Fisher & Co., which has been collecting testimonies from over 1,250 affected families in recent months. This lawsuit is the first in a series of claims totaling billions of shekels being filed by Dr. Fisher and a team of international legal experts in the US and Israel. Among these is a significant lawsuit expected against Syria. The lawsuit against Iran was filed in the Federal Court in Washington, in collaboration with Attorney Dan Kalisher from the American law firm Foster Graham Milstein & Kalisher and Attorney Asher Perlin, who specialize in US lawsuits related to terrorism and combating its supporters.
The lawsuit seeks to hold Iran accountable as the state sponsor of the terrorist attack, in accordance with American law, which stipulates that a state designated by the US government as a sponsor of terrorism is not immune from legal proceedings within the US.
In recent months, many testimonies and proofs have been collected. These are being presented to the court alongside expert opinions from the fields of security, medicine, intelligence, and law, pointing to Iran's direct and indirect involvement in planning, funding, training, and supporting the terrorist actions carried out by Hamas and others.
Dr. Gideon Fisher stated, "After months of intensive work during which we collected testimonies from victims and assembled a team of international experts, our firm is leading an important legal and moral effort to file damage claims against Iran and other Hamas partners responsible for the heinous attack on Israeli and American citizens on October 7th. Beyond the military effort, we must also fight Hamas and its supporters legally and in terms of damages. With the help of top experts in various fields, we are committed to ensuring that Hamas and those who support it pay for their crimes against humanity."
Gal Levi, 23, from Ramat Gan, whose father Adi, an American citizen, was shot by terrorists at the Nova Festival and underwent surgeries and long rehabilitation at Sheba Hospital, shared, "My life is divided into before and after October 7th. I feel the injury daily because I still have shrapnel in my body, and mentally, I relive the moments of terror when I lay wounded in a building at the entrance to Nova, and a terrorist came in and took our phones. I saw the evil and cruelty in his eyes. I feel it is my duty to tell our story in court. I hope this lawsuit will deliver justice and send an important message to the axis of evil countries supporting terrorism," Levi concluded.
Eli Hazan, 57, a ZAKA volunteer who responded on October 7th and operated for about four months in 14 communities in the south, added, "We have dealt with severe terror attack scenes and road accidents for years and thought we had seen it all. This massacre and war showed us everything in a new light. The cruelty and evil we encountered while handling the deceased with dignity leave lasting impacts and thoughts that haunt me. I had three sons drafted under emergency orders, and when I returned home sometimes, I shared stories, later realizing my family was also affected. Treating dozens of bodies in various conditions is something that flashes back to me in daily life, and I know we must fight this monstrous terrorism in every way."
Lt. Col. (Res.) Attorney Maurice Hirsch, an expert in legal counter-terrorism and former head of the military prosecution in Judea and Samaria, explained the rationale behind the lawsuit, "The main factor enabling and assisting radical Islamic terrorism to run rampant worldwide is money. Iran, as the head of the evil axis, along with other countries like Qatar, funds and promotes terrorism in almost every continent. A significant part of combating this phenomenon is exacting a price by filing civil lawsuits in as many countries as possible against those directly and indirectly responsible for terrorism. This way, we not only achieve compensation for terror victims but also punish the perpetrators of terrorism."
