NYC mayoral hopeful Mamdani comments on Israeli hostages after backlash

New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani finally broke his silence Monday afternoon after facing backlash for remaining silent during the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.

“The scenes of Israelis and Palestinians today are profoundly moving: the release of Israeli hostages and the reunion of families after years of fear, uncertainty and torture; the first days in Gaza without brutal Israeli bombardment of Palestinians, as families are reduced to rubble and loved ones are rescued from detention,” Mamdani said. Published on X shortly after 4pm EST on Monday, in a message that did not mention President Donald Trump or acknowledge his role in the negotiations.

Mamdani described the development as a “glimmer of hope” that the ceasefire “will hold” and “the long and difficult work of reconstruction can begin.”

“I also know that this news provides solace to millions of New Yorkers who have felt the pain of the last few years,” Mamdani said. “We have seen that our taxes are financing a genocide. The moral and human cost of this will be a permanent stain and will require accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies.”

MAMDANI WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA BEING CHASED FROM MANHATTAN SQUARE; PROTESTER SAYS HE WILL CALL HIM ‘ANTISEMITE’

Mamdani’s long post ended by saying that “the responsibility now lies with those who believe in peace.”

“Once aid is delivered, the injured are taken care of, and a lasting agreement is reached, we cannot look away,” Mamdani said. he said. “We must work for a future built on justice, without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where everyone can live in security and dignity.”

Mamdani’s post came about three hours after one of her rivals, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called her out on social media for not commenting that morning while the hostages were being released.

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A group of Hamas gunmen in Deir-el Balah are seen in central Gaza during the release of 20 living Israeli hostages on October 13, 2025. (TPS-IL)

“It should not be overlooked that @ZohrankMamdani, who still refuses to condemn the phrase globalizing the intifada (widely understood to mean death for Jews), has yet to comment on the release of the hostages,” Cuomo said. he said. Published on X. “His silence speaks volumes.”

Both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa made statements praising the release of the hostages on social media in the early morning hours; Sliwa was the only person to praise Trump by name.

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President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before boarding Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on, left. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

One CNN interview On Friday, Mamdani hinted that he was open to giving credit to Trump.

“If the genocide ends, then I think that’s a commendable thing, and if the hostages are returned,” Mamdani said. “These things need to be done together.”

Mamdani’s post quickly sparked critical reactions, including from New York City GOP Assemblywoman Inna Vernikov.

“Glaringly missing from this WORD SALAD is any mention of HAMAS or the TERRORISTS who caused this situation by committing murders and rapes all over Israel on September 7,” Vernikov said. Published on X. “You know, the same terrorists that your wife glorified in her Instagram story? Those terrorists?”

Mamdani, who has been widely criticized for his comments and positions on Israel, spent Sunday night raising money for a United Nations agency that employed the October 7 terrorists, just hours before the last living Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity.

Trump celebrated “peace in the Middle East” after signing the historic peace agreement that ended two years of conflict in Gaza.

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“At last we have peace Middle East, and that is a very simple statement, peace in the Middle East,” Trump said in a speech alongside dozens of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

“We’ve been hearing about it for years, but no one thought they could get there. And now we’re there.”

Trump continued: “This is the day that people in this region and around the world have worked, strived, hoped and prayed for. With the historic agreement we just signed, the prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible.”

His remarks came after Hamas released the final remaining 20 living hostages on Monday as Israel backed off its frontline positioning in Gaza over the weekend.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.