An American billionaire who was sued by families of Hamas victims and accused of aiding the October 7 terror attack has stepped down from his role at Harvard. Bashar Masri was sued in Washington DC by almost 200 families, who allege he allowed Hamas militants to construct elaborate tunnels underneath his developments in Gaza to ‘store and launch its rockets at Israel .’

This infrastructure was crucial to carrying out their attack, which left 1,200 dead and sparked the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Masri, once named one of ‘the world’s greatest leaders’ and known for his humanitarian efforts in Gaza, has denied the allegations and dismissed the lawsuit as baseless. But on Thursday it was revealed he had stepped down from his role on the Dean’s Council at the famed Ivy League institution amid the ongoing saga.

‘Mr. Masri has resigned from the Dean’s Council,’ a spokesperson for the Kennedy School of Government told the New York Post. ‘The lawsuit raises serious allegations that should be vetted and addressed through the legal process.’ The Dean’s Council ‘comprises leaders from various sectors who believe in improving public policy and public leadership around the globe,’ Harvard says.

‘Members provide financial support and practical advice that allow the School to advance positive change at the local, state, national, and international levels so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just, and sustainably prosperous.’ Masri also has sponsored a scholarship for Palestinian students at Harvard since 2018, providing ‘tuition, health insurance, and stipends for Palestinian students in the School’s degree programs, as well as financial aid for Palestinian participants in the school’s executive education programs.’

The scholarship targets ‘current and emerging leaders in Palestine.’ Masri denies any and all wrongdoing. His office said in a statement: ‘Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy. ‘Bashar Masri has been involved in development and humanitarian work for the past decades.’

The suit accuses Masri of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act by knowingly working with, and assisting, Hamas. ‘The properties defendants developed with Hamas were not only part of the infrastructure Hamas used in connection with the Oct. 7 attack itself,’ the lawsuit stated. ‘Their development deliberately advanced Hamas’ s false narrative that it was interested primarily in the economic development of Gaza and a grudging coexistence with Israel.’

Those tunnels have been central to Hamas’ operations, concealing hostages taken from the 2023 attack on the Nova Music Festival alongside scores of weapons. Masri has been pictured with Hamas officials in the past, including posing for a photograph after signing an agreement to build his futuristic city, Rawabi, on the West Bank. Hamas has had a stronghold on Gaza and often major projects in the city have to be accepted and agreed upon by militants, who make up the government.

In one photo, Masri smiles alongside Hamas Minister of Economy Abdel Fattah Zrai’, who the IDF revealed they killed in a targeted airstrike in 2024. Israel alleged Zrai’ played a ‘significant role in directing Hamas’s efforts to seize control of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip’, and was responsible for the distribution of fuel, gas, and funds for ‘terror activities.’ The lawsuit does not accuse Masri of knowing that the October 7 attack was going to take place, only that he knew Hamas had stored the military infrastructure.

It states that Masri’s investments in Gaza directly benefited Hamas. One of his properties, an industrial park near the Israeli border, had an ‘elaborate subterranean attack tunnel network’ which was ‘siphoning electricity from their World Bank-funded solar project.’ His Blue Beach Resort allegedly also had a complex tunnel system which linked it to a Hamas training base. Israel’s Defense Forces claimed the hotel was also used ‘as a shelter where [Hamas] planned and executed attacks both above and below ground.’ Finally, the lawsuit cites the Israeli army’s intel allegations that Masri’s Ayan Hotel was used as a base to fire rockets from, and that tunnels underneath the hotel were accessible from certain guest rooms and facilities.

Both hotels were damaged when Israel retaliated against the October 7 attack. Forty six Americans were among 1,200 people killed in the initial attack , with another 254 taken hostage in Gaza. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 200 plaintiffs, including the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the Israeli American victims who was initially taken hostage but later killed. Masri’s former business partner Eyal Waldman, whose daughter was killed on October 7 at the festival, is also part of the lawsuit. Israel has revealed Hamas has built a vast network of tunnels under homes, hospitals, schools and other major infrastructure.

Masri has reportedly been advising Trump’s envoy seeking the release of Hamas hostages, Adam Boehler. He has also been linked with plans to rebuild Gaza after the war, the New York Times reported. Trump has a bold vision for Gaza and the West Bank, revealing he’d like to see it transformed into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East.’ He’s also been working closely with Israel in an effort to end the crisis.

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