Three years after Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in the Oct. 7 attacks, Israelis are marking the anniversary of an event that traumatized the nation and reshaped the region. Memorials have been held at homes, roadsides, kibbutzim and the Nova music festival site, where militants killed more than 360 people and took 44 hostages.

Mamdani is a longtime critic of Israel and has been especially fervent in decrying its treatment of Palestinians since the 2023 attack. But his anniversary statement garnered particularly pointed pushback because of its timing, with critics arguing Wednesday was the kind of occasion when elected leaders should avoid divisiveness.