New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday criticized Israel’s arrests of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was headed to the Gaza Strip, calling the arrests unlawful and a violation of international law.
“Last night, Israeli forces intercepted and boarded a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza in international waters off the coast of Greece - unlawfully detaining more than 175 people, including several New Yorkers," Mamdani wrote in a post on social media.
“My team has been in direct contact with State and Federal partners as we work to confirm the whereabouts and conditions of these New Yorkers," he added.
Mamdani claimed, “This is a brazen violation of international law. Those detained must be released."
The Israeli Navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday evening, finding - as in the cases of previous flotillas - that it was not carrying “humanitarian aid" for Gaza as its organizers had claimed.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that the participants in the flotilla would be transferred to Greek territory and would not be detained in Israel.
The flotilla, which departed from several countries including Turkey, Spain, and Italy, included more than 100 vessels and around 1,000 participants.
Mamdani has long come under fire for his anti-Israel views. During his election campaign, he refused to disavow the phrase “globalize the intifada". He was also called out for criticizing Israel on October 8, 2023 - just one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
He has repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes in its battle against Hamas in Gaza, and has vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City.
Mamdani then caused an uproar on his first day in office when he cancelled executive orders related to Israel, which were issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams.
The move cancelled an order signed by Adams in June of 2025 formally recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Another executive order which was cancelled prohibited mayoral appointees and agency staff from boycotting and disinvesting from Israel.
Mamdani has faced multiple antisemitism controversies since taking office. A recent report indicated that Mamdani's wife, Rama Dawaji, liked several social media posts that praised or appeared supportive of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.
Last month, Mamdani was introduced at a Ramadan event by a man who called for Hamas to bomb Tel Aviv.