Former Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl called out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his “sick narrative” about the war in Gaza.
Wednesday, Mamdani posted about the three year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks against Israel. While the mayor said he was grieving the loss of life in Israel that day, he also continued to accuse the Jewish nation of committing a “genocide” against the Palestinians in Gaza.
“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children,” Mamdani said. “Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing.”
This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) October 7, 2026
Pearl, who has never been shy about his support for Israel, criticized Mamdani over the remarks.
“You are a liar and a coward Mr Mayor. Even on the day we mourn the innocent victims of Oct 7th, you spew a sick false narrative about the War in Gaza,” Pearl said. “Hamas is 💯responsible for the loss of life on BOTH. SIDES!”
You are a liar and a coward Mr Mayor. Even on the day we mourn the innocent victims of Oct 7th, you spew a sick false narrative about the War in Gaza. Hamas is 💯responsible for the loss of life on BOTH. SIDES! https://t.co/SXKvIEQtU4
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) October 7, 2026
On that day, the terrorist group Hamas broke down the barricades around Gaza, waged a surprise attack against innocent civilians in Israel, killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
Despite the pushback, Mamdani doubled down on his statement against Israel over the conflict.
“I believe there must be room to mourn every single life,” Mamdani said. “There must be room to mourn the lives of the more than 1,100 Israelis that Hamas killed three years ago. There must be room to mourn the 74K Palestinians the Israeli government had killed since. What I so appreciated about being at the vigil yesterday evening, as I had been the year before, is that it was a vigil that brought together New Yorkers to read testimonies of their own family members, of others who’ve been killed either on the day or in the genocide since and ends with a shared vision for peace and for an end to the genocide”
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubles down on calling Israel's war in Gaza a "genocide" when pressed on whether his past statements and Oct. 7 comments inflamed tensions among New Yorkers.
Mamdani says there must be room to mourn both the 1,100+ Israelis killed by Hamas as well as… pic.twitter.com/a7RW3tJkzj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 8, 2026
All living Israeli hostages held in Gaza were eventually released on October 13, 2025, following a U.S.-brokered peace agreement led by President Donald Trump.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
