New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday defended his controversial statement marking the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre, once again accusing Israel of genocide despite widespread criticism of his remarks.

Speaking at a press conference, Mamdani addressed the backlash surrounding his statement issued Wednesday, which condemned Hamas and acknowledged the Israelis murdered in the October 7, 2023, attack but devoted much of its content to allegations of genocide, apartheid and war crimes against Israel.

The mayor also responded to anti-Zionist demonstrators who confronted him Wednesday evening while he attended a vigil commemorating victims on both sides of the conflict. Protesters denounced Mamdani as a “traitor."

“I was proud to attend last night’s vigil, as I did last year, to listen to testimonies of family members of those who were killed," Mamdani said Thursday.

“As for those protesting me, I am the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for," he added.

Addressing his October 7 anniversary statement, Mamdani described the Hamas massacre as “unthinkable devastation" but again directed criticism toward Israel.

He alleged that “the Israeli government used and continues to use that day, those war crimes as a justification for an ongoing genocide."

During the press conference, Mamdani accused Israel of genocide six times.

“There must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 Israelis that Hamas killed three years ago. There must be room to mourn the 74,000 Palestinians the Israeli government has killed since," he stated.

“The statement, the attendance, it all speaks to a reckoning with horror and a horror that devastated the lives of New Yorkers three years ago and it also continues to devastate New Yorkers today," Mamdani added.

His remarks followed strong condemnation of Wednesday's statement by Israeli, American and Jewish officials.

Among the critics was Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, whose son Neria remains hospitalized while recovering from critical injuries sustained in a terrorist ramming attack.

"It’s actually hard to find a sentence in Mamdani’s post that isn’t a lie," Leiter wrote in response to the mayor's statement.

The ambassador emphasized Hamas's responsibility for the October 7 atrocities that triggered the war.

"Let’s be clear: the only attempted genocide in this conflict was perpetrated by the barbarians he supports, Hamas, who butchered, raped, and murdered in the most horrific ways imaginable," Leiter stated.

Leiter also rejected Mamdani's allegations concerning Israel's conduct in Gaza, accusing Hamas of exploiting civilians and diverting humanitarian assistance.

"There is no genocide, ethnic cleansing, or famine in Gaza. Hamas embeds itself among, behind, and beneath the people of Gaza, knowing that the IDF will not, ever, intentionally target civilians. It robs its own people of the humanitarian aid that Israel has facilitated into Gaza since the war began."

The latest controversy is part of a broader dispute surrounding Mamdani's positions on Israel, which have drawn criticism since his campaign for mayor.

His statements on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, and his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada" have been particular sources of controversy.

The disagreements have continued during his tenure at City Hall.

On his first day in office, Mamdani revoked several executive orders concerning Israel that had been enacted by his predecessor, Eric Adams.

He also became the first mayor of New York City to boycott the city's annual Israel Day Parade.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani pledged that the New York Police Department would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he traveled to New York, citing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

However, following a legal review by his administration, Mamdani acknowledged that New York City does not possess independent authority to enforce the ICC warrant.