New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced sharp criticism on Wednesday after marking the third anniversary of Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel with a statement that mourned victims while also focusing on Israel's conduct in Gaza. The criticism came from a broad range of Israeli, American and Jewish leaders, including the Israeli-American Council (IAC), U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon and Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis.
In a post on X, Mamdani said October 7, 2023, remained a "profoundly painful" day for many New Yorkers. He noted that Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others during the attack, but devoted a substantial portion of his statement to condemning Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which he described as an "ongoing genocide." Newsweek reached out to Mamdani's office for comment. Mamdani acknowledged the victims of the Hamas attack before pivoting to the war in Gaza.
He argued that Palestinian suffering neither began nor ended on October 7 and criticized continued U.S. support for Israel. The mayor cited Palestinian casualty figures and accused Israel of carrying out war crimes, saying New Yorkers were grieving not only Israeli losses but also the devastation inflicted on Gaza during the conflict. He concluded his statement, writing: "Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment.
"To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity." The statement comes on Mamdani's first October 7 anniversary as mayor of New York, home to the largest Jewish population worldwide outside Israel. In a statement posted on X, the Anti-Defamation League told Mamdani: "Not once do you say 'Jews.' On Oct. 7, Hamas-led attackers murdered civilians, committed sexual violence, mutilated bodies and took hostages. You are weaponizing a day meant for mourning the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust to recycle your usual antizionist talking points.
The city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel deserves a mayor who can honor the dead without exploiting them." Pro-Israel media watchdog HonestReporting similarly accused Mamdani of minimizing the anniversary's victims, noting that fewer than 50 words of his approximately 200-word statement were devoted to Israelis killed or abducted during the attack. "Imagine writing an anniversary statement about a massacre and making the victims a supporting detail," the organization wrote. New York state Senator Saritha Komatireddy accused Mamdani of using "their day of remembrance to attack Israel and accuse the Jewish state of genocide." She added: "October 7 is not an opportunity for political equivocation or anti-Israel rhetoric.
It is a day to remember the victims, condemn Hamas, and stand with New York's Jewish community." The Israeli-American Council issued one of the strongest rebukes, accusing Mamdani of using a day of remembrance to advance a political argument against Israel. "For the Jewish and Israeli community, October 7 is, first and foremost, a day of mourning, remembrance, and trauma," the organization said. It argued that Mamdani had once again used the anniversary to accuse Israel of genocide and rejected that characterization as false.
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