Mayor of New York City (NYC) Zohran Mamdani addressed the situation in Gaza during a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday morning, recounting accounts from Palestinian refugees affected by the genocide in Gaza.
Mamdani spoke of a meeting held on Staten Island with faith leaders, where he met a young man from Gaza residing with an organization that houses refugees.
“He did not have one of his arms. He was one of the many children that have been maimed by this genocide,” Mamdani said. “I think that is quite serious. I think there are tens of thousands, I do not think, I know there are tens of thousands of children who have been maimed, who have been forced to undergo operations without anesthesia.”
Referring to the casualty count in the region, Mamdani noted that the count of Palestinians killed by Israel has passed 70,000, stating that the actual figure remains unknown and higher than reported. He emphasized that the impact reaches residents within New York City.
“I have met Palestinian New Yorkers who have told me how they’ve spent decades in this city, building their lives, saving money to send it back home to build a home in the village they grew up in, only to see it obliterated in an instant with an Israeli airstrike,” Mamdani said.
He added, “And then that same older New Yorker tells me of how his son called him and begged him to send him money for food, that his grandchild was starving, and that he couldn’t do anything about it.”
He said that this is something that has not only offended the conscience, the morals, the mere humanity of so many New Yorkers, but it has also ripped apart the lives of many who have been personally affected by it as well.
The press conference follows statements released by Mamdani on Tuesday night EST regarding the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September.
Mamdani confirmed that the New York City Law Department reviewed applicable law and determined that the city lacks independent legal authority to arrest Netanyahu.
“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said in a video statement. “The federal government, however does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
In the video, Mamdani referenced the destruction of neonatal hospitals, maternity centers, food blockades, and the targeting of journalists and humanitarian workers, noting that tax funds from the United States (US) finance weapons used in the genocide.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and the restriction of food, water, fuel, and medical supplies to civilians in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the ICC.
