Three hundred bereaved families, including victims and hostages from the October 7 attack and IDF casualties, have joined the lawsuit filed by Shurat HaDin in the Jerusalem District Court.
The suit seeks over 2 billion shekels in damages from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad for the murders committed by terrorists against innocent civilians on October 7. In March, the lawsuit included 124 families.
Among the new plaintiffs are the family of Maya Goren, who was kidnapped and murdered; the family of Aviv Baram, a sound producer murdered in Kfar Aza; the family of Eitan Mor, who is still held captive in Gaza; the family of Ron Shemer, murdered in Nova music festival; and the family of Gal Danguri, also murdered in the festival.
Other plaintiffs include relatives of Yamam (National Counter-Terrorism Unit) operative Chen Nahmias, who fell on October 7, and families of fallen IDF soldiers Michael Ben Hamu, Yakir Hakaster, David Schwartz and Neriya Zisk, among others. This landmark lawsuit has been filed following an expert security assessment that the Palestinian Authority annually transfers approximately $1 billion to Hamas in Gaza, partly to fund civilian infrastructure and payments to Hamas operatives.
Our goal is to strike at the vile murderers and those who sent them. If this lawsuit can achieve a bit of justice and possibly deter these forces of darkness, it will be our reward.
Shlomit Kalmanson, widow of Elchanan, a recipient of the Israel Prize for Civil Heroism, explained how she feels about the lawsuit that she joined. “On the morning of Simchat Torah, my beloved husband Elchanan went with his brother and nephew to Kibbutz Be'eri to rescue residents from Hamas terrorists. After about 16 hours under fire, a terrorist ambushed them in one of the houses. Elchanan was shot and did not return. Their actions saved nearly 100 people they had never met."
"The pain is immense, and this lawsuit cannot heal our wounds, lessen our sorrow, or diminish our longing. Our goal is to strike at the vile murderers and those who sent them. If this lawsuit can achieve a bit of justice and possibly deter these forces of darkness, it will be our reward. Elchanan wrote and told us how proud he was to see himself as part of the Jewish people’s enduring legacy in their land, and we continue his legacy.”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, which represents the victims, stressed the importance of the lawsuit.
“Now more than ever, it is clear we must choke off the economic lifelines of terrorist organizations, alongside diplomatic and operational efforts on the ground. We will pursue every entity funding and supporting terrorism and hit them with economic and legal measures," she said. "Otherwise, these terror organizations will reestablish themselves and continue to act against Israel. Hamas is not a local militia but a sprawling organization attempting to destroy Israel from any territory, so we must also dismantle it financially.”