Hamas claims ties to US campus protests: 'We have our own people everywhere'
The lawsuit states hostages were told Hamas was working with its “allies” on campuses to foment hatred against Jewish people and Israel.
One hostage says a Hamas operative showed images of protests at a U.S. college and claimed the militant group's "own people" were involved.
A former hostage held by Hamas claims the terrorist group revealed its links to its “affiliates” on American college campuses and in media networks, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
”Hamas in Gaza was coordinating with its allies, including its allies in the media and on college campuses, to foment hatred against Israel and Jews,” The Times of Israel reported, citing the court filing.
An amended version of the lawsuit further details the experience of hostage Shlomi Ziv, alleging that Hamas operative Abdallah Aljamal showed him photographs of pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University, one of the most prominent campuses for such demonstrations for large-scale demonstrations in support of the terror group.
Aljamal allegedly told Ziv, “we have our own people everywhere,” and that Hamas operates an “army” from within Gaza which focuses on using American media platforms to spread anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas propaganda “throughout America and all across the world.”
“Hamas was going to ensure that the United States, as well as Jews and Israelis, are hated everywhere and that Hamas in Gaza was coordinating with its allies, including its allies in the media and on college campuses, to foment hatred against Israel and Jews,” the lawsuit reads.
Aljamal has been identified as a writer for The Palestinian Chronicle—an outlet administered by U.S.-based nonprofit, The People Media Project—which previously reported on a senior Hamas official encouraging students to continue protests in support of the group.
The suit seeks to expose and hold accountable college campuses and outlets, such as The People Media Project, as complicit in the spread of pro-Hamas propaganda. It names former hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, who were abducted on Oct. 7, 2023 from the Nova Music Festival in Israel, as plaintiffs in the case.
Columbia University, specifically mentioned by Aljamal, has been a focal point of rising anti-Semitism on U.S. campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in over a thousand civilian deaths.
A recent Columbia graduate told Campus Reform that it has been “well documented that Hamas allies have influence on campus.”
“When Hamas brags to hostages about their influence on American campuses, it confirms what many of us have recognized for a long time,” Joshua Ye, now graduated, said.
“I think it’s important that these institutions face scrutiny, and I’ll be very interested to see how this lawsuit plays out.”
Campus Reform has previously reported on numerous anti-Semitic incidents at Columbia, including protests that may have been among those shown to Ziv while held captive.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criticized the university in a press release, accusing it of failing to address rising anti-Semitism on campus.
The announcement said that Columbia has acted “with deliberate indifference” when addressing the targeting of Jewish and Israeli students on its campus since Oct 7.
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University and The Palestine Chronicle for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
