In a written statement marking the third anniversary of October 7, 2023, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani sharply criticized the U.S. government’s role in the war in Gaza.
“The suffering did not begin on October 7”
Mamdani said he shared the grief of New Yorkers mourning relatives they lost on October 7. However, he stressed that the suffering in Gaza neither began nor ended that day.

Describing Israel’s operation in Gaza as genocide, Mamdani recalled that more than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed in the region, including more than 21,000 children. The mayor argued that American taxpayers’ money was being used to finance war crimes.
Reaction to arms shipments
Mamdani said Washington was complicit in the events by sending weapons to Israel and stated that a world in which occupation and apartheid continue cannot be accepted. According to Mamdani, the way to commemorate those who lost their lives is to struggle for a world where everyone can live freely, safely and with dignity.
Deaths continue despite the ceasefire
In Israel’s attacks on Gaza, 175,000 people were injured. According to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 5,000 injured in daily attacks that have continued since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.