New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing scrutiny after a report revealed that his wife, Rama Duwaji, liked several Instagram posts regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Duwaji’s Instagram activity included interactions with posts that framed events of that day in sympathetic terms, as well as the antisemitic protests that followed.
One of the posts Duwaji reportedly liked featured images of Palestinians breaching Israeli defenses and described the attack as a form of resistance to “apartheid.”
Another showed people on a captured IDF vehicle with messaging about opposing occupation and oppression. Both posts were shared on the same day Hamas carried out its assault on Israel.
Duwaji also liked posts supporting pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place the day after the attack. These included material from organizations calling on people to stand with the Palestinian cause and highlighting their “right to resist” what they described as “occupation.”
The resurfacing of Duwaji’s social media activity comes as questions mount about how her views intersect with Mamdani’s political stance. The two met online in 2021 and married in early 2025.
Response from City Hall
In response to the reporting, Mamdani defended his wife and distanced himself from her social media posts.
“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.”
A spokesperson said that Mamdani “has condemned that violence unequivocally” and reaffirmed that Hamas is a terrorist organization.