A group of American survivors of the Hamas terrorist attack is filing a lawsuit against The Associated Press, alleging that the news organization knowingly employed individuals associated with Hamas who were present during the October 7th attacks. According to a report by the New York Post, the survivors claim that by hiring these individuals, AP materially supported terrorism.
The complaint, filed in the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday, accuses AP of employing photographers who were closely linked to Hamas and actively participated in the terrorist attack. The plaintiffs, represented by the nonprofit National Jewish Advocacy Center, include Israeli Americans and Americans who were present at the Nova music festival when it was attacked by Hamas, as well as relatives of victims.
Under the Antiterrorism Act, the plaintiffs are seeking damages, alleging that four freelance photographers on the scene of the October 7th attack supported and aided Hamas. The complaint argues that AP knew or should have known about the affiliations of these individuals through basic due diligence.
According to the National Jewish Advocacy Center, AP paid for real-time images, including those showing Israeli hostages being taken into Gaza, despite being warned in advance about the Hamas affiliations of at least one of the photographers. The statement from NJAC accuses AP of aiding and abetting Hamas in carrying out the attack, which they describe as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
In response, AP has dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, stating that they had no advance knowledge of the October 7th attacks and have not seen any evidence, including in the lawsuit, to suggest that the freelance journalists who contributed to their coverage were involved in the attacks.
