On the occasion of the two-year anniversary of October 7, New York mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani wrote, "Hamas committed a horrific war crime with the murder of more than a thousand Israelis and the kidnapping of more than 200 Israelis."
At the same time, Mamdani accused Netanyahu and his government of starting a "genocidal war" that day.
According to Mamdani, the IDF is turning Gaza into a sea of ruins and every day in Gaza the mourning increases. "The death toll has already exceeded 67,000: the Israeli army is bombing homes, hospitals and schools. I mourn the lives of the residents of Gaza and pray for the families that have been torn apart. The US government was complicit in these crimes throughout. This must stop. The occupation and apartheid must end," he claimed.
He also said that peace should be sought through diplomacy, not war crimes, and that the US administration must act to end these atrocities and bring those responsible to justice. In his statement, Mamdani wrote that he mourns the lives and prays for the safe return of all the hostages still being held, and for all the families whose lives have been torn apart by these atrocities.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a strong rebuke to Mamdani’s statement in a post on X, accusing him of amplifying Hamas propaganda.
“Two years after Hamas launched its barbaric massacre against Israel and the Jewish people, Mamdani has chosen to act as a mouthpiece for Hamas — spreading its fabricated genocide narrative. By repeating these lies, he excuses terrorism and helps normalize antisemitism. He stands with Jews only after they are dead. Shameful,” the ministry wrote.