New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani stated that the city should honor an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits. During a Fox News interview, Mamdani emphasized upholding international law while refusing to credit President Trump for a recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire or specify if Hamas should disarm.
On October 15, 2025, New York City Democratic Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared on Fox News' 'The Story' with host Martha MacCallum. He affirmed that New York City should enforce the ICC arrest warrant issued against Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, similar to the one for Vladimir Putin. 'I’ve said that this is a city that believes international law, and this is a city that wants to uplift and uphold those beliefs,' Mamdani said. He acknowledged the United States has not ratified the ICC treaty and does not recognize the court, but insisted the city would abide by existing laws to uphold such warrants without creating new ones. When pressed on whether NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch would cooperate, Mamdani replied, 'I’m going to exhaust every legal option in front of me, not to make new laws to do so.'
The interview also touched on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas secured the previous week. Mamdani declined to give President Donald Trump credit, stating, 'To any extent, credit or not, I think it's too early to do so... But if it proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable, then I think that's where you give credit.' MacCallum repeatedly asked if Mamdani believed Hamas should lay down arms and cede leadership in Gaza, citing reports of the group killing Palestinian civilians and failing to return all deceased hostages' bodies, including those of American citizens, as per the deal. Mamdani responded that such remains 'should absolutely be returned' and critiqued both Hamas and the Israeli government from a stance of 'universal human rights.' He added, 'I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety, and the fact that anything has to abide by international law. And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask me about.'
Mamdani's comments come amid scrutiny of his Israel-related positions in a city with the largest Jewish population outside Tel Aviv. He is leading polls by double digits against independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with a debate scheduled for the following night and Election Day on November 4. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams recently dropped out of the race.