A major lawsuit was filed in Jerusalem’s District Court on Sunday against the Palestinian Authority, seeking over NIS 1 billion ($270 million) in damages for its alleged role in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.
Representing 208 family members of 122 victims murdered at the Nova music festival and other locations, along with one survivor permanently disabled, the lawsuit accuses the Palestinian Authority of encouraging and supporting terrorism through financial incentives and incitement in educational materials, contributing to the massacre that killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw 252 people abducted.
The plaintiffs seek to hold the Palestinian Authority legally accountable under Israel’s Compensation for Victims of Hostile Action Act, which provides for exemplary damages and the Torts Ordinance, arguing the authority incited and endorsed the terrorists’ actions.
Alongside the lawsuit, a request was filed to freeze approximately NIS 1.1 billion ($297 million) of funds Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority. The plaintiffs include families of victims from rapid response teams, kibbutzim and communities near the Gaza border, as well as those who attended the nearby music festivals.
The lawsuit describes how terrorists surrounded the Nova festival area, indiscriminately shooting at revelers, turning a vibrant event into a slaughter zone. Thousands of young people fled but terrorists blocked main routes, systematically attacking, torturing, raping, killing and kidnapping anyone in their path.
While the Psyduck music festival was not directly targeted, some fleeing attendees were killed. In total, 399 festival-goers were murdered and 44 were abducted to Gaza.
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The lawsuit accuses the Palestinian Authority of paying stipends and providing benefits to imprisoned terrorists and families of those killed or injured in attacks, directly linked to their terrorist acts. It claims compensation of NIS 10 million ($2.7 million) per deceased victim and NIS 5 million ($1.35 million) for the permanently disabled survivor.
Earlier this year, Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit rejected the Palestinian Authority’s petition to annul the Terror Victims Compensation Law, affirming that it pays significant sums to terrorists and their families in connection with their crimes and that political motives behind the law do not invalidate it.
In February 2025, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree canceling payments to families of terrorists killed in attacks but the lawsuit asserts the authority continues to fund and support terrorism.
The attorneys representing the families said in a statement, “This is one of the largest lawsuits of its kind against the Palestinian Authority, both in the number of plaintiffs and the claim’s scope, exceeding NIS 1 billion. We seek to hold the authority accountable for financing, encouraging and supporting terrorists through grants to Palestinian prisoners in Israel and their families, as well as families of other terrorists, as we will prove in court.
“This support contributed to the October 7 events, where over 1,200 Israelis were killed and 252 abducted.” The Palestinian Authority’s legal representatives did not issue a response.