Massive Lawsuit Filed Against Palestinian Authority Over October 7th Massacre

In the days leading up to the third anniversary of the October 7th massacre, a colossal lawsuit seeking 5.151 billion shekels has been filed in the Jerusalem District Court against the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and Qadura Faris, the PA and PLO Minister of Prisoner Affairs. The lawsuit represents nearly 900 plaintiffs, including families of those murdered on October 7th, victims of hostile acts, and soldiers wounded in combat. It was filed by the law firms of Dr. Gideon Fisher & Co. and Mordechai Heller.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants financed Hamas, were aware of the massacre, and participated in its planning and training of the terrorists involved. The plaintiffs assert that the defendants bear responsibility for the damages caused by the October 7th attack, citing the Law for Compensation for Victims of Terror. The core argument is that responsibility for the attack's damages does not lie solely with Hamas.

Plaintiffs claim the defendants "personally participated in the planning and execution" of the campaign and "provided funds and other material support to other terror organizations and the terrorists who participated in it." It is further alleged that the defendants "ratified" the campaign, partly by paying rewards to terrorists involved.

Professor Gideon Fisher stated that the lawsuit is based on intelligence indicating that senior PA officials transferred funds before October 7th to individuals known to be terrorists. He also cited evidence of PA payments to the families of Nukhba terrorists after the massacre. The suit also links the defendants to pre-attack preparations, noting that in 2018, several Gaza-based terror groups, including PLO factions, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, established a "Joint Operations Room" to coordinate activities, conduct joint training, and plan large-scale attacks against Israel.

This new lawsuit, totaling billions of shekels, joins a previous suit by the same law firm for 4.5 billion shekels, which resulted in the seizure of 400 million shekels of PA funds. The firm has also filed international lawsuits in the U.S. against Iran and Syria, each seeking $500 million, and against the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Fisher emphasized that this legal action is part of a broader international campaign to hold accountable those who supported terrorism and to secure maximum compensation for victims.