More than 100 victims and relatives of victims of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel sued Iran, Syria and North Korea for $4 billion on Monday, accusing the countries of providing Hamas support.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by the Anti-Defamation League is the largest case against foreign countries in connection with the attack, and the first backed by a Jewish organization, the ADL said in a press release.
Iran’s Islamic government, the main financial and military supporter of Hamas, has openly praised the attack, pledging to continue it backing of the militant group. It has also praised efforts by its proxy groups in the region to support Hamas and attack Israel.
The lawsuit accuses the three countries of providing financial, military and tactical support to Hamas. The US government has designed Iran, Syria and North Korea state sponsors of terrorism.
More than 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 250 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. The plaintiffs in the case include US citizens injured on Oct. 7, as well as relatives and the estates of victims killed in the attack.
"Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of antisemitism and terror – along with Syria and North Korea, they must be held responsible for their roles in the largest antisemitic attack since the Holocaust," ADL Chief Executive Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.
Iran already faced several similar lawsuits in connection with the Oct. 7 attack.
The Iran, North Korea and Syria missions to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
It is common for countries accused of state-sponsored terrorism to ignore lawsuits in the US and not to honor judgments against them in US courts.
However, the United States Justice Department has a program called Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund(USVSST Fund), which provides compensation to individuals (or personal representatives of deceased individuals) who hold a final judgment issued by a United States District Court awarding the individual compensatory damages.
So far, the fund has made four distributions to victims from appropriations by the US Congress and collections from unlawful activities by individuals and affiliates of state sponsors of terrorism after successful prosecutions. The Justice Department is planning a $940 million distribution for 2025.
But the fund has run low, prompting several members of Congress to introduce legislation in May that would enhance funding and guarantee annual payments to victims.
If the defendants in this case are found liable, the plaintiffs hope to tap the USVSST, which Congress created in 2015 to compensate individuals who have won judgments against state sponsors of terrorism.
Monday's lawsuit seeks at least $1 billion of compensatory damages and $3 billion of punitive damages.
"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," plaintiff Nahar Neta, whose American-born mother Adrienne Neta was killed on Oct. 7, said in a statement.
The law firm of Crowell & Moring also represents the plaintiffs.
With reporting by Reuters