TWENTY-SIX American citizens who were present at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport when it was targeted by Hamas missile fire during last summer’s war will file a lawsuit against the terror group in a United States (U.S.) court, it was announced yesterday.
The litigation, which was inspired and organised by Israeli legal group, Shurat HaDin, seeks to have various top Hamas commanders tried on war crimes charges.
Under U.S. law, targeting or committing acts of violence against American citizens in an international airport can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
War crimes suits will be filed against Hamas leaders and rocket fire cells, specifically, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, senior spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, and officials Hamdan Awad, Hudeiffe Samir, Abdullah Al’halut, Ahmed Jandoor, Ra’ad Sa’ad, Marwan Abed-el, Karim Issa and Salah Amer Daloul.
Over the course of last summer’s 50-day conflict between Hamas and Israel, terror groups from the enclave targeted Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, located 12 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv, and briefly grounded flights. Hamas took responsibility for the attacks on social media and in official statements.
Although there were no direct hits on the terminal, missiles fell in the nearby city of Yehud, destroying a residential building.
The airport is located 60 kilometers north of the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority suspended all flights by U.S. airlines to and from the airport on July 23 following the rocket fire. Europe’s aviation authority issued a similar order, and many airlines released their own notices on suspending flights.
The ban was overturned 24 hours later.
Shurat HaDin’s chairwoman and founder, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, noted that the Hamas links to the rocket fire on the airport are indisputable.
