Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayor of New York City, declined to address questions Friday regarding his wife’s apparent social media activity related to the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist who married Mamdani in early 2025, reportedly liked multiple Instagram posts on the day of the attack and the following day that framed the violence as justified resistance, according to reporting by Jewish Insider. Among the posts was content from an account called The Slow Factory showing images of a bulldozer breaching the Israel-Gaza barrier and attackers atop an Israeli military vehicle.

Duwaji also engaged with content promoting a pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023, which included the phrase “from the river to the sea.” Mamdani himself publicly condemned that same rally at the time for minimizing the massacre. CBS News independently confirmed that Duwaji liked at least one post showing images of the Oct. 7 attack and another featuring anti-Israel demonstrations the following day.

When reporters pressed Mamdani at an unrelated Bronx event, he defended his wife’s privacy. “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,” he said.

Critics questioned that defense, noting Duwaji’s public profile. She appeared on New York Magazine’s digital cover in December and participated in multiple New York Times profiles. In her magazine interview, Duwaji acknowledged that she shares the couple’s public life. “I realized that it was not just his thing but our thing,” she told the outlet.

Further reporting by The Free Press indicated that Duwaji had liked more than 70 anti-Israel posts, including one dismissing reported sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack as fabricated.

Mamdani is the second New York politician recently called to account for a spouse’s online activity. Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman also faced questions after posting that his wife liked following the Oct. 7 attack drew attention.

The incident highlights the challenges public officials face when family members’ online activity intersects with contentious international events and domestic political scrutiny.