(Chris Wade, The Center Square) New York City mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani accused the Israeli government of “genocide” in a scathing statement Tuesday to mark the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
“Two years ago, Hamas carried out a horrific war crime, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping 250 more,” Mamdani said “In the aftermath of that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government launched a genocidal war: a death toll that now far exceeds 67,000; with the Israeli military bombing homes, hospitals, and schools into rubble.”
Mamdani, a Queens Assemblyman and front-runner in the mayoral race, described Hamas’ attack as “horrific” and said “I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities.” He called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza.
“This must end. The occupation and apartheid must end,” he said. “Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account.”
But Mamdani’s statement didn’t recant his previous support for the phrase “globalize the intifada” which his chief rival in the mayor’s race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and other top Democrats had demanded of him ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ attack.
Over the weekend, Cuomo called on Mamdani to publicly condemn his previous support for the expression ahead of planned protests Tuesday, acknowledging the massacre and Israel’s years-long bombing campaign that’s left roughly 64,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-controlled Public Health Ministry.
Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, refused to condemn the slogan during the 2025 primary election, sparking a backlash from Jewish leaders and community members. As a mayoral candidate, he has pledged not to support the phrase, but has declined to condemn it.
Pro-Palestinian groups have used it as a slogan — which means to “shake-off” in Arabic — to resist the Israeli government, but Jewish groups say it fuels antisemitic violence and hate speech.
Mamdani’s latest comments are likely to provoke strong reactions in New York City, which is the world’s second-largest home to Jews behind only the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. He has also been criticized for saying he backs the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government, and has promised if elected to arrest Israeli President Netanyahu if he visits New York City, calling him a “war criminal.”
“What we see is a war crime being answered with war crimes. And what we see is, every single hour, the Israeli military killing a Palestinian child for close to two years,” Mamdani told the popular daytime talk show “The View” during an appearance last Wednesday. “I can’t stop that as the mayor of this city. I can make clear my own values, my own commitments.”
The latest polls showed Mamdani leading Cuomo by a commanding 15 percentage points, with less than two months to go until the mayoral election. He also faces Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, dropped out of the race last week.
