Sderot families file class action suit against Egypt
Israel Law Center files $68 million suit against Egyptian government on behalf of 10 families from Sderot; claims Cairo directly responsible for ongoing weapons' smuggling to Gaza Strip
Ten families from Sderot whose relatives were severely wounded or killed by Qassam rockets have filed a $68 million class action suit against the Egyptian government.
Attorney Nitzana Darshan-Layton, head of the Israel Law Center, filed the suit Monday at the Beersheba District Court. The suit claims that Egypt is directly responsible for dozens of tons of weapons reaching the Gaza Strip, and allows infiltrators to travel to Syria and Iran, where they receive their training.
"These logistics would not be possible without Egypt's assistance," Layton told Ynet. "Egypt is known for fiercely fighting anything (its government) finds unacceptable…. these weapons are not made in Gaza and they clearly go through Egypt before getting there.
"The residents of Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities are the only ones seriously affected and every one must understand that Mubarak (Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak) is as responsible for the situation as (Hamas chief) Ismail Haniyeh."
Among the families named in the class action suit is the Abukasis family from Sderot, who lost their daughter, Ella, to a Qassam rocket in 2005.
"We know Gaza gets its weapons through Egypt," the family father, Jonathan, told Ynet. "Israel's requests that they put a stop to it are unanswered, so maybe it's time they pay for it.
"We've already lost our daughter and our son is severely traumatized," he said when asked of the suit's monetary value. "We can only hope the money will help to rehabilitate the families who were hurt the most… the court has to grant the suit. People have to understand the situation here is impossible."
