Lawsuit Alleges Pro-Palestinian Groups on US Campuses Had Prior Knowledge of Oct. 7 Attack

One plaintiff is a former hostage who says his captors ‘bragged about having Hamas operatives on American university campuses.’

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally after marching around the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" in the West Lawn of Columbia University in New York City on April 29, 2024. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Families of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack are suing detained Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil and several pro-Palestinian groups, accusing them of acting as the “propaganda arm” for terrorists.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in the Southern District of New York, names Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Khalil, who served as a spokesperson for CUAD before his detention by immigration authorities.