Jerusalem Court Orders Former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to Pay 25 Million Shekels
The Jerusalem District Court ordered former ICC prosecutor Karim Khan to pay 25 million shekels in a lawsuit brought by Israeli hostage families and Shurat HaDin, citing complicity in delayed actions.
The Jerusalem District Court ordered Karim Khan, the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to pay 25 million shekels to Eitan Mor and the families of Avinatan Or and Omri Miran. Judge Eran Shelah issued the ruling after Khan failed to submit a statement of defense, despite the lawsuit being properly served to him. The plaintiffs include MK Zvika Mor, Eitan's father.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2025, when the three hostages were still held in the Gaza Strip, from which they were released about two months later. The families, represented by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat HaDin organization, argued that Khan's conduct assisted the terrorist organization in continuing to hold the captives.
According to the plaintiffs, Khan delayed for eight months before requesting arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders—Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Ismail Haniyeh—and linked the request to arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They further claimed he refrained from seeking warrants against Islamic Jihad leaders and other senior Hamas officials responsible for holding the hostages.
The lawsuit stated that Khan's failure to act against those senior officials helped terror groups maintain captivity. The plaintiffs noted that some of these officials operated outside the Gaza Strip while negotiating with Israel. The families accused Khan of creating an improper moral equivalence between Israel and terror organizations, acting from extraneous motives.
Shurat HaDin emphasized its intention to enforce the full collection of the 25 million shekels awarded to the plaintiffs. Since Khan currently resides in England, the organization plans to seek enforcement there using legal frameworks for recognizing and enforcing foreign judgments.
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, stated: "Thanks to this historic ruling, ICC prosecutors and judges will know that unlawful actions carry personal financial consequences. Just like administrative sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, terror victims will make them pay for their actions." She added that prompt legal action by Khan could have secured earlier releases from Hamas captivity.
