New York: Controversy Erupts After Mayor Zohran Mamdani Pays Tribute to Israelis Killed on October 7

A controversy has erupted after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani paid tribute to Israeli civilians killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Pro-Palestinian protesters branded Mamdani a “traitor,” prompting the mayor to respond that he was “proud” to have attended the event.

Mamdani attended a memorial prayer service organised by Israelis for Peace last night to commemorate the events of October 7. During the event, pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded him and accused him of betraying the movement.

Later, speaking at a press conference, Mamdani said, “I am the mayor of New York City, and I accepted this responsibility to do exactly this.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted slogans and created a disturbance outside the gathering, where people had assembled peacefully. The protesters also raised slogans against Mamdani and Brad Lander, a Democratic Party candidate for Congress. Lander also addressed the gathering. Some protesters displayed symbols associated with Hamas.

Mamdani said he was proud to have attended the prayer service last night, as he had done the previous year. He said his purpose in attending was to listen to the families whose loved ones were killed on October 7 and to understand the pain and suffering of the families of those who have died in the three years since then. According to Mamdani, all these people shared a common vision of peace in Gaza and an end to genocide.

However, Mamdani declined to directly answer questions about whether he would change his earlier statement regarding the October 7 attacks.

During the press conference, he was also asked whether he would revise the statement he made on Wednesday morning to mark the anniversary of October 7. Several Jewish organisations had criticised the mayor, arguing that his speech focused more on Israel’s military operations in Gaza than on Hamas’s 2023 attack.

Instead of directly answering the question, Mamdani referred to his attendance at the Israelis for Peace prayer service and his meeting that same night with Palestinian New Yorkers at a Palestinian restaurant on the Upper West Side called Ayat Hinds Hall.

Mamdani said, “This is all about confronting a horrific event. It is a tragic event that devastated the lives of New Yorkers three years ago and continues to affect them today.”