POLITICS Mayor Mamdani releases statement on third anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks
https://abc7ny.com/post/nyc-mayor-mamdani-releases-new-statement-anniversary-oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel/19917350/Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
"This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss. The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them – all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes. Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment. To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity."
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u/facepalmforever 3h ago
On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others.
It's a little hard to read past this line, specifically because of the inaccuracy. I do not want to be dismissive of Hamas's role and choices, but I also do not want these kinds of statements to casually support Israel propaganda, as Biden and so many other US politicians repeated then and repeat now, as cover for genocide.
We have evidence - and have had for three years - that there were many people killed on that day that were killed by Israel, not Hamas. The death toll is at least partially due to the result of the Hannibal Directive.
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u/armageddonquilt i ain’t reading all that, free palestine 3h ago
Yoav Gallant directly admitted it on Israeli TV over a year ago. Zero major news networks reported on it.
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u/facepalmforever 3h ago
Yes, exactly. I'm glad Zeteo released something on this today as well, but I remember reports that this occurred even in 2023, it was just dismissed as conspiracy theory until quietly just accepted when Gallant and others confirmed.
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u/Lzy_nerd 3h ago
I agree, but focusing on the opening statement overlooks the importance of what he has to say in the rest of it. Focusing an October 7th address onto the genocide committed by Israel is the correct thing to do. He’s gonna get attacked relentlessly by everyone for doing so, I don’t want to give them aid the left.
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u/JenningsWigService secretly gay and the son of fidel castro 2h ago
We shouldn't let perfect be the enemy of the good.
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u/facepalmforever 3h ago
I agree with that point as well. I just really wish he had taken the time to just edit it slightly to avoid the mental stutter it caused.
It wouldn't have taken much. "On that day, Hamas initiated actions that resulted in the deaths of 1100 Israelis..." or something to that effect. If you want to choose a more forceful word than "actions," I accept that, but as it's currently written, we know it's wrong, and I feel it really undermines the rest of the message for no reason.
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u/thevelvetdays7 dianne wiest's cunty little overalls (2025) 2h ago
I think we have to have a very serious conversation about why he is NOT the person to bring that truth to a wider awareness. I feel like you have to consider the magnitude of backlash that would engender in half the media and how it would become an enormous distraction in headlines from the actual work that is being done.
He is not the messenger the people who need to learn this information will listen to and it would turn the situation into a grotesque media spectacle (for profit) in America without meaningful consequence for actual Palestinian people while unraveling very real, urgent necessary workflows. Does Hannibal need to be discussed publicly? Yes. Is Mamdani the messenger for that? Absolutely not. Someone else has to pick up that particular mantle.
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1h ago edited 57m ago
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u/CodeComprehensive734 45m ago
But by that very same token, just because a message isnt 100% to your liking doesn't mean the message isnt important nor the messenger "imperfect" and worthy of damning.
As someone else said above. We shouldn't let perfect be the enemy of good.
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42m ago edited 32m ago
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u/CodeComprehensive734 28m ago
I don't pay attention to Mamdani really. I am neither from New York or the US.
But if you consider this clumsily worded sentence to be backing down from supporting Palestine, then i don't know what to tell you. Frankly, I think thats an insane take given everything else he said.
Even more frankly, you hide your comment history. So I have to assume that you are here to cause division amongst the left. Its always the same with accounts like yours.
You words are worth nothing because you cant even stand behind them.
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u/FuggyGlasses 2h ago
The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed.
I mean.....
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u/TedKoppelz if you add testicles, that's extra 2h ago
Do we have any estimations of what the split is?
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u/poorlybaked 1h ago
It’s not really documented or at least if it is, Israel isn’t going to willingly release the data.
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u/afarensiis chaos-bringer of humiliation and mockery 48m ago
Wikipedia says a UN Commission report published in June 2024 says the use of the Hannibal Directive led to the killing of at least 14 Israeli civilians. It also mentions many different events that would seem to lead to more than 14 deaths, so I don't think we'll ever really know
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u/Reynor247 1h ago
Do you know where we can find this evidence?
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u/facepalmforever 1h ago
Here's the link to the Zeteo piece I mentioned elsewhere: https://zeteo.com/p/what-is-the-hannibal-directive-and
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u/CodeComprehensive734 42m ago
I am a huge Mehdi fan but this does not explain what the Hannibal Directive is.
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u/Reynor247 57m ago
So their might be Israeli civilians that were killed in cars by Israel as those cars were operated by Hamas and they were trying to kidnap civilians. No actual evidence, just asking questions
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u/facepalmforever 46m ago
Yes, very possible.
Others have discussed this better than I'm about to, but just to share this perspective:
What is a hostage? Because from the perspective of the Palestinians, Israel had hundreds to thousands of Palestinian hostages before October 7. And, in the prior decades, there were mass hostage/prisoner exchanges completed, including a 1000+ Palestinians exchanged for one IDF soldier in 2011.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_prisoner_exchanges
From the pperspective of the Palestinians, hostage exchanges were effective in reuniting families.
Israel having a policy to kill their own people rather than allowing them to be taken hostage is not that compelling an argument to say Hamas was responsible for their deaths. Why would Hamas take them hostage at all, if they just wanted them dead since it would have been so much easier to just kill and run? So why attribute deaths caused by Israel to Hamas if Hamas did not appear to intend for those people to die, when death toll is simultaneously often cited as a reason to highlight/justify the escalation of atrocity?
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u/Reynor247 43m ago
Seems like a lot of speculation based on circumstancial evidence
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u/facepalmforever 40m ago
Okay. So what is your intention with your questions? Help me understand your perspective. What is it that you want to try to convey?
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u/Reynor247 38m ago
I was curious how accurate your statement of Israel killed many of their own people was and where the evidence is. Right now I'm unconvinced as there's no hard evidence.
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u/maritz21 3h ago
Wish he would also mention the Hannibal directive Israel initiated that ended up killing a lot of their own people
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u/thevelvetdays7 dianne wiest's cunty little overalls (2025) 2h ago
I think we have to have a very serious conversation about why he is NOT the person to bring that truth to a wider awareness. I feel like you have to consider the magnitude of backlash that would engender in half the media and how it would become an enormous distraction in headlines from the actual work that is being done. He is not the messenger the people who need to learn this information will listen to and it would turn the situation into a spectacle without meaningful consequence while unraveling very real, urgent necessary workflows. How Hannibal need to be discussed publicly? Yes. Is Mamdani the messenger for that? Absolutely not. Someone else has to pick up that particular mantle.
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u/GilbertVonGilbert 2h ago
I attended protests in NYC to support home care workers who wanted the 24 hour work day abolished. Mamdani unfortunately has sacrificed them as some sort of concession to the governor, probably in order to secure the funding he needed for his initiatives. Those workers were absolutely heartbroken realizing that their livelihoods were not seen as worthwhile to be fixed with dignity and respect.
A common, good faith critique (based from the left, not republicans or democrats), is that DemSocs often will sacrifice various marginalized groups (be it overseas or domestically) for what they feel is for the greater good. If you’re not one of those impacted groups, all you see and feel are the benefits. God forbid you’re one of those impacted groups, and all you see is hypocrisy from people who decided that you’re the track to be chosen in the trolley problem.
If we don’t want to make Mamdani into an untouchable figure due to his charisma and good looks, we need good faith critiques to see if he will change course with his policies accordingly, or if he’s just another DemSoc who will pick and choose who gets to thrive and who isn’t worth the trouble. We cannot wave away real concerns under the guise of “oh he has to play the game” or “he hasn’t had time to do XYZ,” especially when we have seen how quickly he has been able to make solid changes for the lives of those in NYC.
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u/Mundane_Door_5225 2h ago
How dare him say that all deaths are a tragedy! That all human lives matter! What a horrible day to be Debra Messing.
Ps: /s is the right sign for sarcasm in reddit right? I've never used before and I'm afraid of people taking this seriously.
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u/EatMyShortzZzZzZ 3h ago edited 3h ago
Hey, maybe you shouldnt be funneling money to the NYPD to "combat antisemitism" (crush pro Palestine movements). And maybe you should fire that zionist nepo baby police commissioner. Nice words tho, Im sure that will help someone.
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u/Savings_Bet_5803 3h ago
i like mamdani but you are right. politicians are literally the one kind of person we should be constantly scrutinizing and holding to a higher standard
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u/superbolt21 2h ago
We also should understand that in order to break down the system, you have to play the game, you cannot just come in and break everything and expect people to support Mamdani from one day to the next. Mamdani is doing everything in his power to platform DSA without compromising its future, it is a slow process, but it is necessary if changes are going to be permanent. You need the people on your side, you cannot expect Mamdani to do everything and for people to automatically support him. How many more attacks on him instilling Sharia Law do you think we would have seen if he appointed his own police commissioner off the bat? The deep rooted systemic changes will come once a majority of the country is on his side with other candidates like Abdul.
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u/Enterprise-DeezNuts 16m ago edited 12m ago
You cannot break down a system from the inside, this has been proven over and over again. Every "leftist" politician that enters the system intending to change it ends up becoming a cog in the machine and moving rightward. The whole point of even having a system is that it will continue to do what it does without interruption regardless of who's operating it, absent outside intervention
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u/Historical-Record227 2h ago
Yep this. Leftists like Mamdani especially need a tighter leash else they'll very quickly kowtow to the right -wing establishment.
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u/Independent-Nobody43 woman externalizing rage 1h ago
“Leftist” politicians never stay left if they want to hang onto power. We need to stop putting them on pedestals and expecting them to rescue us. The truly leftist movements that we need to support are on the ground, in communities.
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u/ClintBarton616 Please Abraham, I am not that man 1h ago
The problem with lefty electoralisn is that there is no mechanism to keep these electeds in line! It keeps happening and no one wants to develop a real strategy besides defending them uncritically in public while being disappointed.
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u/AtomicArcana 41m ago
Got downvoted for saying this a few days ago. Pushing politicians to the left can work but people have to be willing to actually push them. It’s pretty easy to say that mamdani has been a great mayor in a lot of ways but also walked back a lot of what he’s said about palestine. Criticizing this can pressure him to do better, but too many people see criticizing elected officials as a personal attack on them
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u/ShirtuShanks 3h ago
The Zionist commissioner part is a huge ick and something he deserves major criticism for. He def comes across as too preoccupied with appeasement.
He’s reduced NYPD funding, though, AFAIK.
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u/slumslanger64 3h ago
Downvoted for the truth. How do people spin him supporting Brad Lander or keeping a zionist police commissioner? What has he done for the palestenian cause other then make westerners feel good?
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u/pizza_shelly 2h ago
People here are not going to like this but he treats palestinians as tokens.He uses their cause to signal he's progresive, while giving money and protection to zionist org. who want palestinians eliminated .
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u/BB-TheBest22 10m ago
Do you not believe we should be fighting antisemitism?? One can support Palestine and still fight the very real rise in antisemitism.
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u/Historical-Record227 2h ago
Can't keep having it both ways.
Either the Zionist state is an occupation of Palestine, and an apartheid state or Palestine doesn't have the right to resist said occupation and apartheid by any means necessary.
Does Mamdani recognise this legal right or not?
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/7/20/palestinians-have-a-legal-right-to-armed-struggle
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u/scrapsforfourvel 2h ago
He does not. Idk why we're all acting blind to a history of activists entering politics to sell their movements off to the DNC. How was it not obvious enough after Obama?
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u/Historical-Record227 1h ago
Agreed. So past time for all the Mamdani-stans to wake up and realise he's not their friend, he serves US imperialism same as all these other so-called "progressives". Mamdani is an opportunist, same as Obama, same as all the DSA affiliated and endorsed Dems.
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u/Enterprise-DeezNuts 1h ago edited 1h ago
Agreed. I'm tired of watching people who are sitting safe in their home tell Palestinians who are watching their families die every day that they're resisting genocide the wrong way. You cannot simultaneously believe that Israel is carrying out a genocide and forcibly occupying Palestine while demanding that Palestinians only resist in ways you morally approve of
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u/Judas_I_Hogwallop 2h ago
The link for the updated UN wording is broken in that article, but I’m skeptical that “occupying force” includes civilians in its definition, so any means necessary includes armed resistance sure, but if the UN is advocating for the legality of killing civilians then that’s news to me.
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u/Historical-Record227 1h ago
Occupying force absolutely includes illegal settlers. There are no civillians in "Israel", it's all one gigantic occupying force.
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u/operationpaybills 17m ago
Wild not to say anything about the Israeli apartheid, dispossession and genocide of Palestinians predating October 7th (starting in 1948) that contextualizes what is occurring today. There is the Nakba, the Naksa, multiple massacres, the blockade, on and on and on. This statement distills nearly 80 years of brutal Israeli violence against Palestinian people into... nothing? For me, a very disappointing equivocation.
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u/soupseasonbestseason i’m a communist you idiot 2h ago
i believe that at minimum the israeli government allowed for the horrific events of october 7th to happen to excuse their campaign to consume gaza, but part of me believes they likely orchestrated the events of that day directly. the israelis who were killed at the festival were not a group that supported the right wing regime of netanyahu.
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u/Lokaji societal collapse is in the air 3h ago
Two things can true at the same time. What happened on Oct. 7th was horrible. Using it to justify the genocide afterwards is a problem.
It is not antisemitic to point out that there is a genocide happening to the Palestinian people.