Arkansas – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of using the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks to repeat what she described as “Hamas’ talking points,” after the mayor issued a statement mourning the Israeli victims while sharply criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
“Disgusting and shameful to use October 7th as an excuse to repeat Hamas’ talking points,” Gov. Sanders said in a post Wednesday. “The terrorist enemies that seek to destroy us will not prevail. We stand with the Jewish people and we pray for the victims, their families and the survivors.” Her response came after Mamdani released a statement marking three years since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Mamdani’s statement did explicitly acknowledge the Hamas attack and the Israeli victims. The New York City mayor called October 7 “the horrific war crimes” and said Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 people.
“We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” Mamdani said.
However, the mayor then shifted the focus of his statement toward Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, arguing that Palestinian suffering “did not begin nor end that day.”
Mamdani described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “devastating, ongoing genocide” and said more than 74,000 Palestinians, including more than 21,000 children, had been killed. He also claimed that more than 1,400 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire and accused Israel of attacks involving ambulances, residential buildings and journalists, as well as turning away food aid at border crossings.
Mamdani further criticized the U.S. government, saying New Yorkers were mourning the victims while knowing that “our tax dollars fund these war crimes.” He accused the federal government of “complicity with every arms shipment” and called for an end to what he described as “occupation and apartheid.”
“To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity,” Mamdani concluded.
The wording quickly generated criticism from political figures and Jewish organizations, with Sanders among those arguing that Mamdani had used a day associated with mourning the victims of October 7 to criticize Israel.
CBS New York reported that Mamdani’s statement immediately drew criticism from the Anti-Defamation League, while other reports highlighted the mayor’s decision to move from acknowledging Hamas’ attack into accusations of genocide, war crimes, occupation and apartheid against Israel.
The New York Jewish Week reported that Mamdani paid tribute to both Israelis killed in the October 7 attack and Palestinians killed during the war that followed, while noting that his statement used terms including “genocide,” “apartheid” and “war crimes” when describing Israel’s conduct. The outlet also reported that more than 1,200 people, including Israelis and foreign nationals, were killed in the Hamas-led attacks and that 251 people were taken hostage.
The Times of Israel similarly reported that Mamdani condemned Hamas and mourned those killed and abducted on October 7, but that the majority of his statement focused on Israel and the Gaza war. Israeli authorities have rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide, while the Israeli military says it targets Hamas and other terrorist groups and seeks to minimize civilian casualties.
The controversy came as Israel and Jewish communities around the world marked three years since the October 7 attack. Reuters reported that the Hamas-led assault killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken, triggering the prolonged Israeli military campaign in Gaza. The third anniversary was marked by memorials and vigils in Israel, while Palestinians in Gaza continued to mourn the destruction and loss of life caused by the conflict.
Sanders’ criticism therefore centers less on Mamdani’s acknowledgment of the October 7 victims and more on what the mayor chose to say immediately afterward. Mamdani did condemn the attack and recognize the deaths and hostage-taking, but he also used the anniversary to argue that the suffering that followed must be considered alongside the events of October 7.
Sanders characterized that approach as “disgusting and shameful” and accused Mamdani of repeating Hamas talking points, while Mamdani’s statement presented his comments as part of what he described as a broader effort to honor victims on both sides and call for freedom, safety and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians.