From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Mamdani’s wife liked post calling Oct. 7 rapes a hoax — report
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, liked an Instagram post calling Hamas rapes during its 2023 invasion of Israel a hoax, The Free Press reports.
The new report comes after Jewish Insider reported yesterday that Duwaji had liked posts celebrating the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Duwaji’s liked post about Hamas rapes came after The New York Times published an expose in February 2024 about sexual violence against Israelis during the Hamas attack.
Duwaji liked a post that referred to The New York Times report as a “mass rape” hoax that had been “fabricated” by the newspaper, The Free Press reports.
Some of the other posts Duwaji liked accused Israel of a “vile land grab,” applauded protesters who forcibly occupied a building at Columbia University, and accused Israel of genocide immediately after the Hamas attack.
Another post called former US president Joe Biden “Butcher Biden” and accused him of genocide.
Asked about the social media activity yesterday, Mamdani said Duwaji was “a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.”
The couple began dating in 2021 and married last year.
Inflammatory social media activity by members of Mamdani’s staff and inner circle, much of it directed at Israel, has caused repeated controversy since he launched his run for mayor in 2024.
The Times of Israel Community.