New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani broke his silence on the release of the final 20 living Israeli hostages from Gaza, calling it a glimmer of hope amid a ceasefire. His statement criticized U.S. funding of the conflict but omitted mention of Hamas or President Trump. The remarks followed backlash from opponents over his initial silence.
On October 13, 2025, Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages as part of a historic ceasefire agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza. President Donald Trump signed the peace deal in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, flanked by world leaders, and declared, "At long last, we have peace in the Middle East." He added, "This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for. With the historic agreement we have just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have achieved the impossible."
Earlier that day, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani faced criticism for not commenting on the release. Opponent Andrew Cuomo posted on X, "It shouldn’t go unnoticed that @ZohrankMamdani — who still refuses to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ (widely understood to mean death to Jews) — has yet to comment on the release of the hostages. His silence speaks volumes." Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa also issued a statement praising the release and crediting Trump.
Around 4 p.m. EST, Mamdani posted a statement on X describing the scenes as "profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention." He called it a "glimmer of hope" that the ceasefire would hold and reconstruction could begin, while noting solace for New Yorkers who felt the pain of U.S. tax dollars funding a "genocide." The post urged responsibility for peace without occupation or apartheid.
In a prior CNN interview, Mamdani had said he would praise Trump if the genocide ended and hostages returned. However, his statement drew backlash, including from Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who criticized the omission of Hamas: "GLARINGLY MISSING FROM THIS WORD SALAD: Any single mention of HAMAS or the TERRORISTS who brought this upon themselves by murdering & raping their way across Israel on 10/7."
The day before, on October 12, Mamdani participated in the NYC Gaza 5K in Prospect Park to raise funds for UNRWA USA, an agency criticized for employing October 7, 2023, terrorists. A U.S. State Department report in August 2025 deemed UNRWA "irredeemably compromised" and called for its abolition. U.S. funding was halted in January 2024.