On two year anniversary of Oct. 7, Mamdani accuses Netanyahu of launching ‘genocidal war’ in response to Hamas attack

Democratic Party candidate Zohran Mamdani accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of launching a “genocidal war” after the October 7 massacre on the two year anniversary of the onslaught.

Mamdani calls Hamas’s October 7 assault “a horrific war crime,” adding, “I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities.”

“In the aftermath of that day, 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,” continues his statement, which uses the unverified death toll provided by the Hamas-run health ministry, and does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Mamdani calls for the “occupation and apartheid” to end, adding that, “Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account.”

Meanwhile, New York Daily News’s editorial board publishes an opinion piece on the two-year anniversary of the massacre, slamming Mamdani’s position on Israel.

“It is a position that smacks of antisemitism in its rejection of an article of faith held so dearly by so many,” it reads.