Zohran Mamdani dines at Palestinian restaurant named after Gazan on anniversary of October 7 Hamas attack

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has come under fire for dining at a Palestinian restaurant named after a Gazan child killed by IDF strikes on the anniversary of October 7.

Mr Mamdani dined at Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, yesterday evening, the anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 assault on Israel.

The restaurant is part of the Ayat chain, and takes its name from Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza in January 2024.

The mayor has faced criticism from both pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Jewish advocacy groups after marking the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks while maintaining his condemnation of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Later in the evening, Mr Mamdani attended a candlelight vigil in Union Square commemorating the Israeli victims of October 7.

He marched silently from City Hall holding a candle but was heckled by demonstrators – some of whom displayed flags associated with Hamas and Hezbollah.

Protesters shouted “traitor” and “you coward” at the mayor before accusing him of abandoning principles associated with the pro-Palestinian movement.

Mr Mamdani’s decision to issue a statement on the anniversary also drew criticism from Jewish organisations.

In the statement, he described October 7 as a profoundly painful day for many New Yorkers but argued that attention should also remain on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

He accused Israel of committing war crimes and called for accountability, citing attacks on medical facilities, residential buildings and journalists, as well as restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, criticised the statement, arguing that Mr Mamdani had failed to explicitly acknowledge Jewish victims.

“You are weaponising a day meant for mourning the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” Mr Greenblatt said, accusing the mayor of using the anniversary to advance his opposition to Israeli policy.

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The October 7 attacks were the deadliest in Israel’s history. Hamas-led gunmen and other attackers killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 others, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s population.

The conflict has continued despite a US-brokered ceasefire, with disputes over Hamas’s disarmament and continued Israeli military operations.

Mr Mamdani, who became New York’s first Muslim mayor after winning the mayoral election last year, has made support for Palestinian rights a central part of his political identity.

He has repeatedly described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocide and called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal.

His stance has put him at odds with some of New York’s Jewish organisations, which have accused him of contributing to an atmosphere in which antisemitism could flourish.

The ADL and New York Police Department have since reported a high level of antisemitic incidents in the city.

The dispute has also drawn criticism from Mr Netanyahu. During a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, the Israeli prime minister referred to Mr Mamdani as “New York’s anti-Semitic mayor”.

Mr Mamdani rejected the accusation, saying Mr Netanyahu was using “baseless lies” to defend Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Amid the tensions, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Jewish institutions would continue to receive police protection.

“Jewish institutions will not be left to protect themselves without a strong partner in the NYPD,” she said.