Mamdani focuses Oct. 7 anniversary message on condemnation of Israel

Mamdani ended his statement by denouncing what he called “occupation and apartheid” and opposing continued US arms shipments to Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani devoted much of his statement marking three years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack to condemning Israel, accusing it of genocide, occupation, and apartheid after a brief introduction mentioning Israelis killed and abducted in the massacre.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” Mamdani says.

The October 7 Attacks Summary lists 1,219 people killed in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7–8, 2023, while official tallies generally put the number at approximately 1,200.

Much of Mamdani’s statement addressed Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

He cited casualty figures from the Hamas Health Ministry, which have not been independently verified and do not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children,” he continued.

The mayor also blamed Israel for the deaths of 1,400 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect last October.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its continuing operations in Gaza target Hamas members and infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed armed group.

“That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing,” he wrote.

Israel disputes such allegations. The IDF says Hamas places its infrastructure within civilian areas and has identified some Gaza-based journalists as having ties to armed groups.

Israel also says Hamas has stolen aid intended for Gaza civilians. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories says around 2 million tons of aid have entered since the war began.

“Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them—all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes,” Mamdani adds.

Mamdani ended his statement by denouncing what he called “occupation and apartheid” and opposing continued US arms shipments to Israel.