More than 100 Israelis filed a lawsuit against the UN organisation on Monday, alleging that the organisation aided and abetted a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The 167-page complaint alleges that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) “knowingly provided material support to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.” Obtained by FOX BusinessThe lawsuit alleges that UNRWA allowed Hamas to use its facilities, including schools, for military and terrorist activities. The victims, represented by the law firms MM-Law LLC of Chicago and Amini LLC of New York City, filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, according to FOX Business.
The victims also allege in their lawsuit that Hamas' weapons were located in close proximity to UNRWA facilities, posing a risk to children and other civilians in UNRWA schools and other buildings, making it difficult for Hamas to attack Hamas targets, thus purportedly gaining military power in preparation for the October 7 attacks.
The lawsuit further alleges that UNRWA allowed Hamas to “indoctrinate” students at UNRWA schools “into a hateful, genocidal death cult ideology, potentially creating the next generation of Hamas recruits willing to commit terrorist acts.”
Victims allege that UNRWA has Hamas-linked staff, including teachers, many of whom carried out terrorist attacks or later assisted in terrorist activities, and that UNRWA paid staff in US dollars, which they then converted into Israeli shekels through “Hamas-linked money changers.”
According to the indictment, the defendants, including UNRWA Administrator Philippe Lazzarini and UNHCR Commissioner Filippo Grandi, are accused of distributing more than $1 billion in donations to Hamas through UNRWA's Manhattan bank account over a period of at least 10 years, despite warnings. (RELATED: Lawsuit claims pro-Palestinian group behind campus protests is aligned with Hamas)
Scoop: Families of victims of the October 7 attack file lawsuit against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Currently in discussion with legal team members Fox and Friends pic.twitter.com/NJ6jXzM3wK— Charles V. Payne (@cvpayne) June 24, 2024
In their lawsuit, the victims acknowledge that some of UNRWA's activities were legitimate, but say they are not “seeking a forum for airing political grievances” but rather “seeking financial compensation for their injuries.”
“We expect the damages to be substantial,” said Avery Samet, one of the victims' lawyers. Said Reuters.
Israel has similarly alleged that some UNRWA staff are directly involved in terrorist attacks, and some countries, including the United States, have suspended funding to the embattled UN agency.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and other former senior administration officials and experts have called on Congress to permanently end funding for UNRWA. In contrast, Democratic-led lawmakers I was asked “Fully funded” by UNRWA.
The UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said Hamas “is not a terrorist group for us” but “it is a political movement”, leading Israel to denounce the UN as an “abomination”.
Lazzarini An editorial in the New York Times on May 30th It accused Israel of launching “brutal attacks” against UNRWA and its staff, including torture and ill-treatment, in response to Hamas terrorist attacks.
Israel and the United States reportedly believe that Hamas funded the terror attacks through millions of dollars of business assets hidden across the Middle East and North Africa several years ago.
