Tel Aviv – Ma’an – On Sunday, a broad civil lawsuit was filed against the Palestinian Authority (PA), holding it responsible for the events of October 7.
The lawsuit seeks compensation of up to 1 billion shekels and was filed on behalf of approximately 200 plaintiffs, including the families of victims killed during the Nova music festival and other sites near the Gaza envelope.
This lawsuit is considered one of the largest ever filed against the PA, both in terms of the number of plaintiffs and the financial claims involved.
According to Israel’s Channel 7, the case includes personal details of each victim, adding an emotional and human dimension to its legal significance.
The case is being handled by attorneys Yossi Ashkenazi and Roi Scheindorf from the law firm Herzog, Fox & Neeman.
The lawyers stated that if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the compensation is expected to be collected from funds already seized by Israel from the Palestinian Authority. These funds are part of a special 3-billion-shekel account that was frozen by government order following the October 7 attacks.
Attorney Roi Scheindorf, a partner at Herzog and the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said:
“This is one of the largest lawsuits of its kind against the Palestinian Authority — in both the number of plaintiffs and the size of the financial claim, which exceeds 1 billion shekels.”
He added:
“We are asking the court to hold the Palestinian Authority legally accountable for financing, encouraging, and supporting militants. This support is evident in the stipends given to security prisoners held in Israeli jails, their families, and the families of those who carried out deadly attacks, which we will detail throughout the proceedings.”
Scheindorf emphasized:
“There is no doubt that such support contributed to the occurrence of the October 7 attacks, in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and 252 were taken hostage. We are filing this lawsuit on behalf of over 200 victim families from the Nova festival and other locations.”
The lawsuit seeks to establish the PA's direct liability due to a systematic policy of paying stipends to militants and their families, based on internal PA legislation.
Documents submitted to the court reportedly contain extensive evidence of links between the PA and the factions behind the attacks, including:
- Direct financial transfers to militant groups (including through intermediary organizations),
- Systematic incitement through school curricula, media, and education systems,
- And open legal and public support for families of attackers.
