By Casey Babb and Sheryl Saperia

A new lawsuit has been filed by Canadian victims of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel. The victims are seeking over $250 million in compensation from defendants including Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, Syria, and, shockingly, a Vancouver-based organization called Samidoun.

Samidoun, which styles itself as the Palestinian prisoner solidarity network, is alleged to have direct links with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a listed terrorist organization in Canada, the U.S., Israel, the U.K. and the European Union — including substantial overlap between the leadership of the organizations. According to Israel’s internal security service, Khaled Barakat — the husband of Samidoun leader Charlotte Kates — is also a senior figure in the PFLP, and the Israelis aren’t alone in their assessment. Palestinian outlets have described Barakat as a leader of the PFLP, or a member of the group’s governing central committee. Further, the Israelis have alleged Samidoun acts as the PFLP’s primary recruitment and propaganda arm overseas.