New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani found himself at the center of a political firestorm this week after issuing a statement on October 7, 2025, marking the second anniversary of the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel. The attack, which occurred on October 7, 2023, saw Hamas militants cross out of the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250, according to reports from New York Post and CBS News New York.
Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman and the Democratic nominee for mayor, has never shied away from controversy when it comes to Middle East politics. In his latest remarks, he both mourned the Israeli victims of the 2023 attack and called for the safe return of hostages still held by Hamas, while simultaneously launching a scathing critique of the Israeli government’s response. “Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language,” Mamdani stated. “I mourn these lives and pray for the families that have been shattered. Our government has been complicit through it all. This must end. The occupation and apartheid must end.”
He didn’t stop there. Mamdani accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government of launching what he called a “genocidal war” in response to the Hamas attack. “Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account,” he said, as reported by the New York Post.
His words, posted on X (formerly Twitter), ignited immediate backlash from supporters of Israel and Jewish leaders in New York and beyond. The Israeli foreign ministry denounced Mamdani’s statement on social media as “shameful,” accusing him of acting as a “mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda — spreading Hamas’ fake genocide campaign.” The ministry charged, “By repeating Hamas’ lies, he excuses terror and normalizes antisemitism. He stands with Jews only when they are dead. Shameful.”
Local Jewish leaders echoed the outrage. Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former CUNY trustee, told the New York Post, “How dare he! He’s a scumbag. There are 57 Muslim countries, 22 that under the law are Islamic states. But he doesn’t want to recognize the only Jewish state? The Jewish people just want to be left alone.” Michael Nussbaum of the NYC Jewish Community Relations Council accused Mamdani of using “inflammatory language against Israel and the Jewish people who were responding to an obvious terrorist attack, not an act of war.”
Matthew Schweber, representing Columbia University’s Jewish Alumni Association, argued, “There is no moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel. It resorts to classic blood libel by describing Israel as an apartheid state. It’s reminiscent of the blood libel against the Jewish people for centuries that incites violent pogroms.”
Former city councilman Rory Lancman added, “Two years ago, as Jewish bodies were still smoldering and Jewish rape victims were still being identified, Zohran Mamdani attacked Israel for existing, without even mentioning Hamas or its atrocities; today, two years later, as dozens of Jews remain prisoners of Hamas, Zohran Mamdani attacks Israel for continuing to exist.”
Even New York City’s outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, weighed in. In a video message, Adams said, “I am praying for the return of all the hostages and the dismantling of Hamas and the end of violence in the region,” while also lamenting the rise in antisemitism that followed the 2023 attacks.
But Mamdani’s statement did not just draw criticism from pro-Israel voices. Some pro-Palestinian activists and organizations also expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that his message did not go far enough. Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of Within Our Lifetime, tweeted, “Zohran’s latest statement is disgraceful. It hides behind the language of morality while reinforcing the same frameworks that dehumanize Palestinians.” Others faulted Mamdani for not explicitly mentioning Palestinians in his message.
Public reaction in New York City was mixed, reflecting the city’s diversity and the deeply divisive nature of the conflict. “I think it’s ill-timed. We’re trying to bring peace right now, so I think it’s not the time for you to speak out or say anything else,” one woman told CBS News New York. Another New Yorker countered, “I’m proud of what he’s saying. So, I mean, it’s like trading, what was it, 1,200 people that get slaughtered for 65,000? Doesn’t seem like that adds up to me.”
Legal and political analysts say the controversy is unlikely to derail Mamdani’s campaign. J.C. Polanco, a law professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, told CBS News New York, “From what I’ve seen, I don’t know if anything will affect Assemblyman Mamdani’s campaign. I think this is just one of many examples of anti-Jewish positions that are cloaked under the veil of anti-Zionism or anti-Netanyahu.”
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa disagreed with Mamdani’s statement but acknowledged his consistency. “He’s been very consistent. He has not buckled,” Sliwa said. Meanwhile, former Governor Andrew Cuomo used the moment to reaffirm his solidarity with the Jewish community, posting, “To the Jewish people — I stand with you. I mourn with you and I will forever be by your side in the fight against evil and antisemitism in all forms.”
The ongoing hostage crisis remains a central issue. As of October 7, 2025, about 20 hostages were still believed to be alive in Gaza, with the bodies of 28 others also in the Palestinian enclave. Two Israeli-Americans serving in the Israel Defense Forces were among those whose bodies remain with Hamas. Over the past two years, two cease-fire deals have freed dozens of captives, including the remains of some slain hostages. Another cease-fire deal, reportedly led by President Trump, was in the works and could see the remaining hostages released.
Mamdani’s stance on Israel is not new. He has previously refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, instead calling for “a state with equal rights.” He has also vowed, if elected mayor, to instruct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu on international war crimes charges should the Israeli leader visit New York City.
The controversy comes just weeks before New York’s mayoral election, set to begin on October 25, 2025. With the city’s electorate sharply divided over Middle East policy, Mamdani’s words have sparked debate not only about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but about the boundaries of political speech, the responsibilities of public officials, and the meaning of solidarity in times of tragedy.
As the campaign season heats up, one thing is clear: the wounds of October 7, 2023, remain raw for many, and the politics of remembrance and response continue to shape New York’s civic life in profound and sometimes unpredictable ways.
