The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has today issued a Statement of Claim on behalf of Canadian victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist atrocities in Israel in which the plaintiffs seek over $250 million in compensation from defendants including Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, Syria, and the Samidoun organization based in Vancouver, B.C. This action follows similar litigation in the United States by U.S. victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Approximately 1200 people were killed and over 200 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, which was the single most brutal massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Numerous independent and credible entities have found that Hamas’ attacks included atrocities such as sexual violence and hostage-taking in breach of the Hostages Convention.

The plaintiffs, jointly represented by Human Rights Action Group, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, and Gardiner Roberts LLP, bring this claim under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act which is landmark Canadian legislation that seeks to deter terrorism and support victims by allowing them to seek damages from perpetrators of terror and their supporters.

The plaintiffs allege that Iran and Syria are liable under the Act as state supporters of Hamas and other terror groups that carried out the Oct. 7 attacks. The plaintiffs further allege that the Palestinian Authority, a non-state entity, contributed to the Oct. 7 attacks by, among other things, maintaining a “pay-for-slay” program in which Palestinians who murder Israelis receive stipends for doing so. Samidoun is a not-for-profit corporation based in Vancouver that is alleged to be a proxy for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist entity listed by the Government of Canada that participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.

While the allegations have yet to be proven in Court, through this litigation the plaintiffs seek some small measure of justice as the world marks the sombre anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacres and to hold accountable those who financially support atrocities committed by terrorist groups.