On Oct. 7 anniversary, Mamdani accuses Netanyahu, Israeli gov’t of launching ‘genocidal war’

Mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani used the statement that drew scorn from both Republicans and Democrats. 

The lefty lawmaker also accused the Jewish state of apartheid against the Palestinian people in a statement that critics also lambasted for being factually inaccurate. For instance, he characterized the terror attack on Israel as “horrific wars crimes.”

The controversial statement posted on X cames two years after Hamas terrorists crossed out of the Gaza Strip and carried out a trail of carnage in southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead and another 250 kidnapped

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“In the aftermath of that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government launched a genocidal war,” Mamdani said.

“Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language,” he also said. “I mourn these lives and pray for the families that have been shattered. Our government has been complicit through it all.”

The Democratic socialist said he mourns the victims of Hamas and prays “for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities,” but also called on Israel to end “the occupation and apartheid.”

“Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account,” he said.

The remarks were quickly blasted by numerous supporters of Israel, including one Jewish activist who told The Post it’s “disgusting drivel.”

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“How dare he! He’s a scumbag. There are 57 Muslim countries, 22 that under the law are Islamic states. But he doesn’t want to recognize the only Jewish state? The Jewish people just want to be left alone,” said Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, former CUNY trustee.

“He’s a hypocrite and a phony. His statement is disgusting drivel.”

NYC Jewish Community Relation Council member Michael Nussbaum assailed Mamdani for using “divisive” language.

“Mamdani is still using inflammatory language against Israel and the Jewish people who were responding to an obvious terrorist attack, not an act of war,” Nussbaum said.

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“It’s disappointing that during the anniversary of tragedy he uses language that incites anger and sorrow instead of using language that unites the communities of New York.

Matthew Schweber, a member of Columbia University’s Jewish Alumni Association, said the statement shows “he’s unfit to be mayor of New York City.”

“There is no moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel,” he said.

“It resorts to classic blood libel by describing Israel as an apartheid state. It’s reminiscent of the blood libel against the Jewish people for centuries that incites violent pogroms.”

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Former city Councilman and Jewish activist Rory Lancman also slammed Mamdani.

“Two years ago, as Jewish bodies were still smoldering and Jewish rape victims were still being identified, Zohran Mamdani attacked Israel for existing, without even mentioning Hamas or its atrocities; today, two years later, as dozens of Jews remain prisoners of Hamas, Zohran Mamdani attacks Israel for continuing to exist,” he said in a statement to The Post.  

Mayor Eric Adams’ spokesperson Fabien Levy decried Mamdani’s statement in an X post.

“Just to be clear, this is not a statement about October 7,” the deputy mayor for communications wrote.

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“This is a statement about how much Zohran doesn’t believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and one that criticizes our own government far more than a designated terrorist organization.”

About 20 hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, and the bodies of 28 others are also still in the Palestian enclave.

The bodies of two Israeli-Americans, both of whom were serving in the Israel Defense Forces, remain with Hamas.

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About 250 hostages were initially held and subjected to horrid conditions, but two cease-fire deals over the past two years freed dozens of captives, including the remains of some slain hostages.

Another cease-fire deal in the works and led by President Trump could see the rest of the hostages freed.

Mamadani’s statement was also slammed by pro-Palestinian activist who felt his message wasn’t anti-Israel enough.

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“Zohran’s latest statement is disgraceful. It hides behind the language of morality while reinforcing the same frameworks that dehumanize Palestinians,” tweeted Within Our Lifetime founder Nerdeen Kiswani.

Other anti-Israel activists also slammed him for not mentioning the word “Palestinian” in the message.

Mamdani has previously faced backlash for his stance on Israel.

Earlier this year, he skipped out on a state resolution that celebrated the Jewish state on its 77th anniversary.

He also declined to sign onto another resolution that denounced the Holocaust, though a campaign spokesperson claimed he supported it by a voice vote.

He has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, but as a “state with equal rights” and has vowed as mayor to instruct the NYPD to arrest Netanyahu on international war crimes if the Jewish leader lands in New York City.

Mayoral rival Andrew Cuomo, who is mounting an independent campaign after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, kept the focus on Hamas’ trail of destruction in his statement about the tragic anniversary. 

“To the Jewish people — I stand with you,” he wrote on X. “I mourn with you and I will forever be by your side in the fight against evil and anti-semitism in all forms.”

“Bring them home NOW,” he said about the remaining hostages.

Adams, who dropped his mayoral bid last week, also remembered the “trauma” Israelis faced on Oct. 7 while blasting the antisemitism that festered in the months afterward.

“I am praying for the return of all the hostages and the dismantling of Hamas and the end of violence in the region,” he said in a video message.