New York marked the third anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack with a vigil in Union Square. Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the event, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators heckled him, Ynet reported.
President Donald Trump issued a statement remembering Israelis who were killed or taken hostage and said he had worked to bring the hostages home. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for a “dramatic change” in U.S. policy in the Middle East and backed a Palestinian state. He also reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s security and the fight against terrorism.
The group Israelis for Peace organized the Union Square event to remember Israelis killed on Oct. 7 and people who died in Gaza. Ynet reported that pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the ceremony, delaying its start. Mamdani was met with chants of “traitor.” Separately, demonstrators outside City Hall accused him of retreating from earlier promises on Palestinian issues.
In an interview with NY1 recorded before the vigil, Mamdani called Hamas’s attack a war crime and described Israel’s response as genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. He also said criticism of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic, while stressing that antisemitic acts would not be tolerated in New York. Those characterizations were Mamdani’s own.