NYC Mayor’s Wife Sparks Outrage With ‘Rape Hoax’ Like

New York City’s mayor is trying to wave off a political firestorm by calling his wife a “private person” after reports say she liked posts celebrating Oct. 7 and dismissing rape claims as a “hoax.”

Story Snapshot

Multiple reports say Rama Duwaji, wife of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, liked Instagram posts that framed the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack as “resistance.”
Another reported like endorsed a claim that Oct. 7 rape reporting amounted to a “mass rape hoax,” contradicting widely documented accounts of sexual violence tied to the attack.
Mamdani’s office has reiterated his public condemnation of Hamas while emphasizing that Duwaji holds no formal role in City Hall or his campaign.
The controversy lands in a city with large Jewish and pro-Palestinian populations, raising questions about trust, civic leadership, and public standards for officials’ inner circles.

What the reporting says Duwaji liked—and why it matters in NYC

Multiple outlets reported that Rama Duwaji liked Instagram content connected to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, including posts presenting the breach of barriers as “breaking the walls of apartheid” and rally content defending “resistance,” including “from the river to the sea” messaging. The reporting also states Hamas killed about 1,200 people, wounded thousands, and kidnapped 251 during the attack, placing the “liked” content in a clear real-world context.

The political stakes are heightened because Zohran Mamdani is not a backbench lawmaker—he is the mayor of America’s largest city, governing a diverse coalition that includes one of the world’s largest Jewish communities. Even if a spouse has no official title, the “First Lady” label carries influence, access, and symbolic power. In a city already strained by ideological activism and street-level tension, this kind of online record predictably becomes a public trust issue.

The “rape hoax” like collides with established reporting and basic standards

One of the most explosive elements in the coverage is the claim that Duwaji liked a post calling reporting on Oct. 7 sexual violence a “mass rape hoax” supposedly “fabricated” by The New York Times. That matters because it moves beyond policy debate into denial of alleged atrocities tied to a mass-casualty terror attack. The available research here does not include any statement from Duwaji addressing that reported like, leaving the public with screenshots and secondhand reporting rather than a direct explanation.

This is also where the controversy becomes less about Israel policy and more about civic decency. New Yorkers can disagree about borders, ceasefires, and foreign policy, but normalizing or excusing violence—especially sexual violence—undermines any serious claim to human-rights advocacy. If the reporting is accurate, the problem is not merely “political speech”; it’s the endorsement of narratives that dismiss victims and inflame tensions at home, where hate incidents and polarization have been real post-Oct. 7 concerns.

Mamdani’s response: “private person,” no formal role, condemnation of Hamas

Mamdani’s office has responded by reiterating that he condemns Hamas and describing Duwaji as a “private person” who held no formal position in his campaign or City Hall. That line draws a boundary between personal social media activity and official conduct. It also appears designed to protect an administration from being pinned to controversial activism, especially when the mayor has publicly characterized the Oct. 7 attack as a “horrific war crime,” according to the reporting summarized in the research.

The hypocrisy problem: distancing from rallies while likes suggest alignment

The reporting highlights an apparent conflict between Mamdani’s political posture and the content attributed to his wife’s account. The research indicates Mamdani criticized a Democratic Socialists of America–led rally for “making light” of the massacre, yet Duwaji reportedly liked posts tied to that rally environment. Separately, outlets describe a broader pattern of Israel-related controversies around Mamdani’s circle, complicating efforts to present a moderated image to the general electorate while keeping faith with a hard-left base.

For conservative readers watching from outside deep-blue New York, the larger lesson is familiar: elite progressives often demand “accountability” for everyone except their own side. If a public official wants voters to believe he stands against terror and extremism, the burden is higher—not lower—to address credible concerns close to home. At minimum, the public is left with unresolved questions because Duwaji has not provided an on-the-record explanation in the cited reporting.

WATCH: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says his wife, Rama Duwaji, isn’t a public figure after reports she liked a post calling the sexual violence investigation tied to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack a “mass rape” hoax. pic.twitter.com/Qf6EIF4ns0

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 9, 2026

What happens next is uncertain. The research does not show any City Hall policy change, disciplinary action, or deletion of the account, and it does not include direct comment from Duwaji. The immediate impact may be political: strained relations with Jewish New Yorkers, donor discomfort, and a new credibility problem for a mayor trying to run a massive city while ideological factions weaponize every controversy. For New Yorkers, the practical test will be whether leadership can lower the temperature—or keep feeding it.