GOP Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin to Investigate Alleged Prior Knowledge of Oct. 7 Hamas Attack by Campus Anti-Israel Groups

By: Fern Sidman

In a dramatic escalation of political scrutiny over anti-Israel activism on American college campuses, a group of Republican lawmakers is now calling on the Trump administration to launch a formal investigation into whether certain student and activist groups had advance knowledge of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. The initiative, reported in detail by Fox News Digital on Thursday, builds on recent legal claims that have rocked the intersection of campus politics, national security, and the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The call to action comes on the heels of an explosive lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by individuals connected to the victims of the Oct. 7 attack, which killed over 1,200 people in southern Israel. That lawsuit alleges that specific anti-Israel organizations, including Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Within Our Lifetime, were not only sympathetic to Hamas but may have had prior knowledge of the massacre. As Fox News Digital reported, the plaintiffs argue that these organizations actively coordinated propaganda and events in tandem with the timeline of the attacks, raising urgent questions about their potential connections to foreign terrorist entities.

Leading the charge is Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), who, along with four fellow House Republicans, penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi urging swift federal action. “U.S. foreign adversaries are engaged in dynamic campaigns to target U.S. students,” the lawmakers wrote, as quoted by Fox News Digital. “In the interest of U.S. national security, we should not tolerate any organizations that coordinate with terrorist groups like Hamas on American university campuses or anywhere in our country for that matter.”

The letter praises the Trump administration for its assertive posture against “pro-Hamas agitators,” crediting both Rubio and Bondi for working “to remove pro-Hamas agitators from our university campuses.” The letter further asserts that the administration has begun “the process of deportation” in some cases, signaling an increasingly aggressive effort to hold alleged collaborators accountable.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering stripping U.S. universities of their ability to enroll foreign students if those institutions are found to be associated with pro-Hamas demonstrations.

As part of Senator Marco Rubio’s “Catch and Revoke” initiative, over 300 student visas have been canceled within the past three weeks alone.

Columbia University and UCLA are currently among the institutions under federal scrutiny, with both the Department of Justice and the State Department reportedly weighing the use of grand jury subpoenas and broad visa revocations.

One of the central figures in the unfolding controversy is Mahmoud Khalil, a 29-year-old pro-Hamas activist and legal permanent resident of the United States. As Fox News Digital reported, Khalil played a key role in organizing anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia University and has now been named in the lawsuit as allegedly having foreknowledge of the Oct. 7 attack. While his attorneys have publicly denied any connections to Hamas, his recent detention by U.S. authorities has drawn fierce political debate and ignited further calls for investigation.

Republican lawmakers are demanding clarity and accountability, citing specific behaviors that they believe warrant deeper scrutiny. One of the most striking examples included in the lawmakers’ letter—reported by Fox News Digital—was the reactivation of Columbia SJP’s previously dormant Instagram account just minutes before the attacks began. The group allegedly issued pro-Hamas messaging shortly after, including a public statement that appeared to justify or support the massacre.

The implications of these claims are profound. If substantiated, they could redefine the boundaries of protected political expression on campus and raise serious concerns about national security vulnerabilities within U.S. institutions of higher education. The lawsuit and subsequent congressional letter suggest that foreign terrorist propaganda may be finding a foothold among certain activist groups under the guise of anti-Israel protest.

Thus far, Fox News Digital reported that attempts to reach an attorney for Khalil for comment were unsuccessful. However, the legal and political developments continue to gain traction, especially among Republican lawmakers who view the October 7 attacks not only as a foreign act of terror but potentially as a coordinated ideological event with sympathizers embedded within U.S. academia.

As investigations unfold, the Trump administration’s response will likely set a precedent for how the United States navigates the increasingly fraught nexus between campus activism, terrorism, and foreign influence operations.