New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced public questioning Friday after reports revealed his wife, Rama Duwaji, had liked multiple Instagram posts celebrating the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The story broke when Jewish Insider published an examination of Duwaji’s personal Instagram account activity in the hours and days immediately following the attack.
The Hamas assault on October 7 resulted in nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign workers killed, thousands wounded, 251 civilians and military personnel taken hostage and numerous episodes of sexual assault.
Among the posts liked by Duwaji was one showing a bulldozer breaching the barrier separating Israel from Gaza, along with images of individuals riding on top of a captured Israeli Defense Forces vehicle, reported Fox News.
The images included messages such as “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation” and “Resisting apartheid since 1948,” with the slogan “Systemic change for collective liberation” shown on each.
Duwaji also liked a post from a demonstration organized by The People’s Forum in Times Square on October 8, 2023, the caption of which called for an end to all U.S. aid to Israel.
The People’s Forum is described as part of Shanghai-based Maoist tech mogul Neville “Roy” Singham’s network of nonprofits promoting pro-China, pro-Russia and pro-Iran propaganda.
NBC New York said that the posts also included the phrase “from the river to the sea,” a slogan widely used in pro-Palestinian activism that critics, including many Jewish organizations, say calls for the elimination of Israel.
A subsequent report revealed that Duwaji had liked more than 70 Instagram posts described as containing radical anti-Israel content following the Hamas attack.
Among those posts was one from February 2024 claiming that The New York Times’ investigation into sexual violence during the October 7 attack had been “fabricated.”
The Times of Israel reported that additional posts she reportedly liked accused Israel of a “vile land grab,” applauded protesters who forcibly occupied a building at Columbia University in 2024, and referred to former President Joe Biden as “Butcher Biden.”
When reporters questioned Mayor Mamdani about his wife’s social media activity at a Friday press conference, he characterized Duwaji as a private citizen.
“My wife is the love of my life, and she’s also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall,” Mamdani said.
“I, however, was elected to represent all 8.5 million people in the city. And I believe that it’s my responsibility because of that role to answer questions about my thoughts and my politics, and my stances,” he added.
Jewish Insider said that a City Hall spokesperson issued a statement saying, “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.”
