![\"Curtis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MixCollage-01-Oct-2025-01-23-PM-9328.jpg\" "\\"NYC")
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Republican Mayor nominee Curtis Sliwa (left), former Gov. and independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
Photos by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani waited more than 12 hours to address the release of the last remaining living Israeli hostages<\/a> early on Monday morning \u2014 drawing criticism from rival Andrew Cuomo that he remained silent for too long.<\/p>\n Cuomo, the former governor who is running as an independent, and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa applauded in Monday morning statements the last hostages\u2019 release from Hamas\u2019 custody, which occurred during the early hours of Oct. 13, New York time. Mamdani\u2019s statement came in at 4:21 p.m. Monday; by then, Cuomo had blasted the Democratic candidate in a social media post a short time earlier, charging, \u201cHis silence speaks volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani, who is a staunch Israel critic and pro-Palestinian advocate, applauded both the return of the hostages and the end to Israel\u2019s devastating military campaign in Gaza \u2014 which he again referred to as \u201ca genocide\u201d<\/a> \u2014 that the overarching ceasefire deal brought.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement. \u201cThere is finally a glimmer of hope that this ceasefire will hold and the long, difficult work of reconstruction can begin.\u201d<\/p>\n Much of Mamdani\u2019s statement focused on holding the Israeli government accountable for the massive toll of death and destruction in Gaza.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide,\u201d he said. \u201cThe moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government\u2019s policies. The responsibility now lies with those of us who believe in peace to make sure it endures, and that it is just. Once aid is delivered, the wounded are cared for, and a lasting agreement secured, we cannot look away. We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n amNewYork asked the Mamdani campaign about the reasons for the delayed statement, and is awaiting a response.\n<\/p>\n