Families of Hamas hostages have filed a federal lawsuit accusing student activists at Columbia University of having prior knowledge of the 7 October massacre in Israel.
The suit, brought in New York on Monday under the Antiterrorism Act and the Alien Tort Statute, claims that groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace, and Within Our Lifetime acted as the “American propaganda arm” of Hamas.
Plaintiffs argue that the student groups were not merely reacting to the attack but were “expert propagandists and recruiters” for a foreign terrorist organisation operating “in plain sight in New York City’.
The complaint hinges on an alleged “toolkit” circulated on 8 October, 2023, by the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), a nationwide campus network tied to American Muslims in Palestine. The 79-page filing claims the toolkit must have been prepared beforehand and was used to orchestrate protests across the US in support of Hamas.
The suit also references a post on Columbia SJP’s Instagram account three minutes before the Hamas onslaught began, which stated: “We are back!!” after months of inactivity. The post encouraged followers to “stay tuned”.
Columbia SJP posts 3 minutes before Hamas massacre on 7 October. Photo Credit: Instagram
It names several individual defendants, including Mahmoud Khalil of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, who was arrested by federal immigration agents earlier this month. The US government claims Khalil has links to Hamas and that he misrepresented information on his green card application. The suit alleges he was a “lead negotiator” of last year’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment and threatened to “escalate” actions if demands weren’t met.
One plaintiff, Shlomi Ziv, held hostage for 246 days, claims a Hamas captor told him that Columbia-linked groups were receiving “financial, organisational, and other support” from Hamas and affiliated organisations.
The lawsuit cites pro-Palestinian protests held on campus since the attack, including encampments and social media campaigns. It argues these were “not spontaneous acts of civil disobedience” but carefully planned events directed by Hamas and its American affiliates.
It also accuses student activists of distributing materials branded with the Hamas Media Office logo and signing onto the “Towfan Al-Aqsa statement”, referring to Hamas’ name for the 7 October massacre, “Al-Aqsa Flood”. According to the suit, the statement pledged “unwavering support of the resistance in Gaza” and was endorsed by more than 80 organisations before or during the attack.
“Since 7 October, these organisations have only been more aggressive and more militant in their efforts to, in coordination with Hamas and AMP/NSJP, distribute Hamas-created and affiliated propaganda,” the complaint states.
It further alleges that Columbia SJP, suspended by the university in November 2023, continues to operate “covertly” through intermediaries, and describes the group as “Hamas’ US-based in-house public relations firm, which has changed forms several times to evade criminal and civil liability.”
No defendants have responded publicly to the lawsuit. Columbia SJP, prior to its filing, posted online: “Rather than stand up against fascist administration, Armstrong and CU trustees have bent over backwards to cater to Zionist interests, even as the genocide in Gaza escalates once again.”
The plaintiffs are seeking criminal charges and unspecified financial damages.
