Mamdani Refuses to Walk Back Oct. 7 Statement as Criticism Mounts

By Andrew Powell (/journals/andrew-powell)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing by his controversial description of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a “genocide,” despite criticism from members of the Jewish community and lawmakers over his comments made on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Mamdani addressed the backlash Thursday while speaking with reporters at an unrelated event, according to Fox News. He was asked whether he believed his remarks had inflamed tensions during an especially difficult moment for many New Yorkers. “I believe that there must be room to mourn every single life,” Mamdani said. The mayor pointed to both the more than 1,100 people killed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack and the Palestinians killed in Gaza. He said New Yorkers should be able to grieve victims on both sides of the conflict. “There must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 that Hamas killed three years ago; there must be room to mourn the 74,000 Palestinians that the Israeli government has killed since,” Mamdani said. He also said the vigil he attended included testimony from people whose loved ones were killed either during the Oct. 7 attack or in the fighting that followed. Mamdani went further by accusing the Israeli government of using the Hamas attack as “a justification for a genocide.” He repeatedly declined to say he would change either his written statement or comments made while attending the Oct. 7 vigil. The mayor defended his decision to emphasize Palestinian deaths by arguing that the situation in Gaza remains ongoing, while the Oct. 7 attack occurred three years ago. In his Wednesday statement, Mamdani described Hamas’ attack as a “horrific war crime” before turning his attention to Israel’s military response. He wrote that the suffering continued through what he called the Israeli government’s “devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Israel has rejected accusations of genocide, saying its military operations are directed at Hamas and other terrorist organizations while attempting to limit civilian casualties. Mamdani’s remarks drew criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called the mayor’s statement “egregious and insulting,” arguing that the anniversary should have been focused exclusively on the victims of the Hamas attack. “There are 364 days of the year to focus on that,” Goldman told Politico. He accused Mamdani’s statement of blaming Israelis for an attack they suffered and said there was “no excuse for victim blaming.” Watch the video below: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UMA84yVhkHE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QOKBgna570