The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated interviews with survivors and families affected by the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, as it builds a case against the financiers of Hamas. According to sources familiar with the matter, US prosecutors and FBI agents have been engaging with former hostages and the families of US citizens who were kidnapped and killed during the terrorist attack. The interviews are part of an ongoing DOJ investigation into Hamas’ financial network, with a focus on determining whether funds from Iran or Qatar were utilized to support the terror group’s military wing.
Additionally, officials are examining the potential involvement of US financial institutions or assets in enabling Hamas, which perpetrated a brutal attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 individuals and the kidnapping of approximately 250 others. Under specific circumstances, foreign governments can be held liable for acts of terrorism by providing resources to terrorists, as per US law.
While the DOJ has refrained from commenting on the alleged investigation, it is known that around 31 Americans lost their lives during the Oct. 7 attack. Five hostages, all Israeli Americans, including Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel, are believed to still be held captive in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is also suspected of holding the bodies of three other Israeli Americans who were reportedly killed during the same incident: Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein, and Gad Haggai. During the initial months of the conflict, Hamas released American hostages Judith Raanan, her daughter Natalie Raanan, and 4-year-old Avigail Mor Idan. The extent of survivors and family members who have provided their accounts to investigators remains unclear.
Sources have revealed that some individuals who met with prosecutors and agents shared videos and text messages to establish a timeline of events on Oct. 7. If a case against Hamas’ financiers materializes, it is likely to parallel the lawsuits filed against Iran over the years for its support of terrorist groups. In February, senior leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were indicted for selling oil to foreign governments to fund terrorist activities. The DOJ seized over $108 million from the defendants, along with more than half a million barrels of fuel. Recently, Iran and Syria were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by victims of the Oct. 7 attack. The lawsuit, representing over 125 plaintiffs, seeks damages of at least $4 billion for “a coordination of extrajudicial killings, hostage takings, and related horrors for which the defendants provided material support and resources.”
