The suit, filed in the District Court for the Southern District of New York, says the UN agency “helped Hamas build up the terror infrastructure and personnel that were necessary to carry out the October 7 attack.”

Seven current and former commissioners-general, deputy commissioners-general and a director were named as defendants. The lawsuit argues that UNRWA knew that some of its staff were members of Hamas, had participated in the October 7 attack, and personally held captive Israelis. It further claimed that textbooks used in schools run by UNRWA helped radicalize Palestinians.

The suit’s lead plaintiff, 84-year-old Ditza Heiman, of Kibbutz Nir Oz. According to the suit, Heiman was held captive for seven weeks in the home of a Palestinian man who said he was a UNRWA teacher at a boy’s school. The suit added that Heiman was often given food with labels showing it was intended for UNRWA schools.