- Families of Hamas hostages filed a federal lawsuit accusing pro-Palestine protest organizers at Columbia University of aiding terrorism. The lawsuit claims protest organizers had prior knowledge of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
- The complaint cited a “manifesto” allegedly prepared before the attacks and a social media post by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine shortly before the violence began, suggesting foreknowledge of the events.
- Mahmoud Khalil, a representative of one of the groups and currently detained, denied the allegations. His lawyers argued he was exercising free speech rights.
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Families of hostages held by Hamas sued a group of pro-Palestine protesters for allegedly aiding the terror group’s “continuing acts of international terrorism and violations of the law of nations.”
The families claimed organizers of the Columbia University protests had prior knowledge of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel.
Who does the lawsuit target?
The lawsuit, filed Monday, March 24, in a Manhattan federal court, named organizers associated with Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, Columbia Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace and Columbia University Apartheid Divest. The suit named Mahmoud Khalil, who is detained and facing deportation, as the representative of CUAD.
The defendants include nine Hamas attack victims. Some defendants had relatives killed or taken hostage during the attacks. Two others are affiliated with Columbia University. They describe themselves as victims of “Hamas’ heinous and ongoing acts of international terrorism.”
The complaint labels the plaintiffs as “Hamas’ propaganda arm in New York City and on the Columbia University campus.”
What does the lawsuit claim?
The lawsuit claimed that the named organizations issued a “manifesto” the day after the Hamas attack in Israel, allegedly created before the group’s advance on Israel.
“The bases for that belief include the timing of the (National Students for Justice in Palestine) Toolkit’s distribution and the signing of the Towfan Al-Aqsa Statement. The bases also include the Toolkit’s inclusion of paraglider graphics,” the filing said.
The complaint also points to a “highly suggestive” social media post published shortly before the attacks began on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Three minutes before Hamas began its attack on Oct. 7, Columbia SJP posted on Instagram ‘We are back!!’ and announced its first meeting of the semester would be announced and that viewers should ‘Say tuned,’” the plaintiffs said.
The complaint pointed out that Columbia SJP’s account had been dormant for months before the post. Columbia University’s 2023 fall semester started on Sept. 5, a little more than four weeks before the attack.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
Khalil, who awaits trial against the Department of Justice, was a negotiator between protesters and Columbia University officials amid protests on campus. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him on March 8, 2025, on orders from the State Department.
Since his arrest, he has maintained his innocence, and his lawyers argued that Khalil was exercising his right to free speech.
Attorneys for the defendant organizations have yet to make a public statement about the allegations.
