Zohran Mamdani under fire from all sides following 7 October statement

Reactions from across the spectrum have poured in online following New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s 7 October statement, which many Palestinians and pro-Palestine advocates say shows him bending the knee to political pressure.

Published on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on 7 October, Mamdani began the statement by mourning "the 1,100 Israelis killed and hundreds taken hostage".

He then pivoted to denounce Israel’s military response: "In the aftermath… 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… Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language… Our government has been complicit through it all. The occupation and apartheid must end."

Pro-Palestine social media users were quick to respond to his statement, with many pointing out that neither "Palestinians" or "Palestine" was used once. 

For many, his equal condemnation of Hamas and Israel flattened the power imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians.

"Zohran's latest statement is disgraceful. It hides behind the language of morality while reinforcing the same frameworks that dehumanize Palestinians," Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani posted on X.

"By calling for ‘diplomacy, not war crimes,’ Zohran implies that both sides are equally guilty, softening the reality of a one-sided genocide into the language of ‘conflict.’ He refuses to name power, which is the easiest way to protect it," she continued. 

Hamas committed a singular “crime”—Mamdani does not distinguish between military and civilian targets or casualties, instead labeling the entire operation and armed resistance as such as criminal—whereas Netanyahu launched a “war” https://t.co/rLvPzG3o1y

— dylan saba (@shaabiranks) October 7, 2025

In a post on X, journalist Sana Saeed argued that this conflation could be seen as "genocide apologia". 

"To frame an instance of Palestinian violence, occurring within and in response to eight decades of occupation and life in an open-air prison, as equivalent to - or in the same moral register as - those eight decades and the past two years of the Israeli extermination campaign, is genocide apologia," she wrote. 

Others online - many of whom are journalists - took issue with Mamdani's statement for including what they deem to be misinformation.

"It's important to be factual," journalist Aaron Mate wrote on X. "Hamas did not kill 'more than 1,100 Israelis.' Israel killed some of those Israelis by enacting the Hannibal Directive...  We don't know how exactly how many Israelis were killed by Israel because Israel won't allow an investigation."

"Zohran's laudable opposition to Israeli genocide is not served by adopting, or failing to challenge, some of the propaganda used to wage it," Mate continued.

Resistance is not a “horrific war crime,” Hamas did not kill “1,100 Israelis” on October 7, and occupation soldiers aren’t “hostages.” These facts matter. @ZohranKMamdani can’t balance out these distortions and lies by also condemning “Israel’s” crimes. He knows this but he’s… https://t.co/AyrTH2bvQC

— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) October 7, 2025

Others were also disappointed that Mamdani was speaking in a way that was antithetical to the teachings of his father, Mahmood Mamdani, who has repeatedly defended the Palestinian right to resist. A few posts read that "the apple fell far from the tree". 

Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree https://t.co/iXiY5VqAct pic.twitter.com/MfjmHRgs8I

— Propaganda & co (@propandco) October 7, 2025

Middle East Eye reached out for comment from Mamdani, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

'Moderating wins you no new friends, it just loses you old ones'

In turn, Mamdani's statement felt like a betrayal to those who advocated for him based upon his views on Palestine, and were the voters who eventually led him to cross the finish line as the Democratic nominee for the mayoral seat during the primary election in June.

"The fact of the matter is that Zohran Mamdani gained momentum from the movement he is distancing himself from and thus alienating, particularly at a moment when it has become relatively easy to win the mayoral election," one social media user posted on X. 

Many saw Mamdani's statement as a warning sign that he may be following in the footsteps of other US progressives who once championed Palestinian rights but have since backpedaled under political pressure.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, has repeatedly called for an arms embargo on Israel, yet recently defended voting for continued US funding of the Iron Dome.

Similarly, Senator Bernie Sanders, long viewed as the moral compass of the American left, only recently acknowledged that what is happening in Gaza constitutes genocide - nearly two years after Israel's assault began.

https://t.co/9YbLo9eg3z pic.twitter.com/exaipU9hV6

— Shakira شاكيرا (@ComradeShakira) October 7, 2025

On the other end of the spectrum, the pro-Israel base – including the Israeli foreign ministry – swiftly condemned the post, accusing the assemblyman of advocating for Hamas.

"Two years after Hamas launched its barbaric massacre against Israel and the Jewish people, Mamdani has chosen to act as a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda — spreading Hamas’s fake genocide campaign," an X post from the foreign ministry reads. 

"By repeating Hamas’s lies, he excuses terror and normalizes antisemitism. He stands with Jews only when they are dead. Shameful."

Many also defended Mamdani, and argued that the progressive left is expecting too much from the mayoral candidate. 

"Look, I’ll be honest the man is running for mayor of the city with the highest Jewish population in the world. Electoral politics wise condemning Hamas is probably something you have to do," one social media user posted on X.

He's running for mayor. This is fine. You're all f-ing nuts. https://t.co/pIdoXstR1n

— Alice (@AliceFromQueens) October 7, 2025

"Weird that anyone is thinking this is a 'centrist take' when he's calling what is happening in Gaza a genocide," another posted. 

Many pointed out that Mamdani's statement seemed to satisfy very few people. What was meant to sound measured instead left him politically isolated - gaining no sympathy from Israel's defenders and losing credibility with the base that once viewed him as an ally.

Moderating wins you no new friends, it just loses you old ones. https://t.co/zY0YeVofiM

— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) October 8, 2025

"So not only was Mamdani factually wrong and cowardly but he’s still getting attacked by the establishment for it," one social media user wrote on X.  "He condemned the Palestinian resistance and pissed off the entire left, while also pissing off the Zionists he tried to appease. This is why you simply speak truth to power instead of being a centrist weasel."