New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani brushed off questions about his wife’s social media activity after reports revealed she liked posts celebrating the October 7 Hamas attack.
Reporters confronted Mamdani Friday after a story from Jewish Insider highlighted Instagram activity tied to his wife, Rama Duwaji.
The report noted that Duwaji had liked several posts published shortly after Hamas militants attacked Israel in October 2023.
The posts appeared on Instagram accounts tied to left-wing activist organizations and included images and slogans connected to the attack.
BREAKING: Jewish Insider reveals that Zohran Mamdani’s wife was mass-liking Instagram posts on October 7th, celebrating the massacre in real time.
This is who they are. pic.twitter.com/dppoZUwrFl
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 6, 2026
One image displayed groups of militants standing atop a captured Israeli Defense Forces vehicle with the phrase “Free Palestine” written across it.
Another graphic read “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation” followed by the date of the assault.
The image also showed a bulldozer used during the attack when Hamas fighters broke through barriers into Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were killed during the assault.
The caption accompanying the image argued that “if and when the occupation forces retaliate against this resistance” the people of Gaza would be “punished for wanting freedom from apartheid.”
Asked about the activity, Mamdani declined to address the posts directly and instead pointed to his wife’s private life.
“My wife is the love of my life, and she is also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall,” Mamdani told reporters.
🚨 Zohran Mamdani responds after posts surface showing his wife liked content celebrating the October 7 attacks, saying:
“My wife is the love of my life… she’s a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my city hall.”pic.twitter.com/bxyfJa02xL
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 6, 2026
Additional posts reportedly liked by Duwaji came from the Instagram account of the activist group The People’s Forum.
Jewish Insider described the organization as part of a network of nonprofits connected to Shanghai-based Maoist tech mogul Neville “Roy” Singham.
Another post promoted a protest against Israel and included the slogan “from the river to the sea.”
The phrase is often interpreted as a call for the elimination of Israel from the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
A separate post liked by Duwaji urged demonstrators in New York City to rally in support of Palestinian resistance.
“Thousands have taken to the streets in #NYC to stand with Palestinian resistance and call for an end to all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel,” the post read.
After the article appeared online, Duwaji’s Instagram account no longer showed the posts as liked.
City Hall moved to contain the fallout by reiterating the mayor’s previous statements about the October 7 attack.
“Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally,” a spokesperson stated.
Mamdani has faced criticism before over remarks about Israel and the broader Middle East conflict.
The mayor previously drew backlash after using the phrase “globalize the intifada,” language critics argue encourages violence against Israel.
As New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Mamdani has also faced skepticism from some Jewish residents because of his outspoken support for Palestinian causes.
While the controversy intensified online, Mamdani continued promoting several policy initiatives tied to his campaign promises.
Earlier this week, the mayor joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to unveil the first stage of a universal child care plan.
The initiative will provide 2,000 free child care seats for 2-year-olds beginning this fall in four neighborhoods across the city.
Officials described the rollout as the opening phase of a broader plan to provide free child care to all 2-year-olds in New York within four years.
The program will rely on existing state funding for early education.
Hochul earlier committed $1.2 billion toward child care and education programs, including $73 million earmarked for the first 2,000 seats.
State funding could reach $425 million by fall 2027 when the program expands to roughly 12,000 seats across all five boroughs.
City officials did not outline how the program will ultimately fund universal access for as many as 100,000 toddlers.
“Raising a child takes a village — and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” Mamdani declared in a statement announcing the initiative.
“Launching free 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here,” he added.
The mayor also encountered criticism last week after condemning U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Mamdani blasted the operation in a social media post while the military campaign was unfolding.
“Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” Mamdani wrote.
Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 28, 2026
“Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change.”
The mayor argued that Americans would rather see attention directed toward domestic economic concerns.
He also addressed Iranian residents living in New York City during the message.
The foreign policy dispute resurfaced again days later during a press conference.
A reporter asked Mamdani whether Iran is better off without Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during an Israeli strike in Tehran.
"The Iranian govt is a brutal regime; they are killing innocent Iranians for demanding civil rights"
Mamdani also ditched @khanumarfa. 😭
pic.twitter.com/0Zlk3bZckR— Mr Sinha (@Mrsinha) March 4, 2026
The mayor acknowledged the regime’s record of repression but avoided offering a direct answer.
“I’ve said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year,” Mamdani explained.
“It is a brutal government, and I’ve also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region not that many years ago.”
Political tensions around the Middle East conflict spilled into the streets of New York this week.
A vigil mourning Khamenei turned chaotic Friday night in Washington Square Park.
Video footage captured a man attempting to remove a poster of the Iranian leader when another man struck him in the face.
The punch knocked the man to the ground and sparked a wider fight among people gathered at the event. Several individuals began trading blows as the crowd shouted profanities.
New York City Police Department officers moved in to break up the confrontation and restore order. Multiple people were detained as the clashes unfolded in the park.
