Mamdani says ‘too early’ to give Trump credit over Israel-Hamas deal

New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said in an interview on Wednesday that it was “too early” to give President Trump credit for the Israel-Hamas deal.
“When it comes to the ceasefire, I am thankful, and I have hope that it will actually endure and that it will be lasting. And I continue to have concerns, because I’ve seen reports still, just in the last few days, that five Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military. And that’s what gives me pause about issuing any kind of praise or celebration at a moment when it is still so in its infancy,” Mamdani told Fox News’s Martha MacCallum when asked if he would raise his hand if asked about whether Trump deserved credit for the Israel-Hamas deal.
“I think it’s too early to do so,” Mamdani told MacCallum, when pressed again.
“But if it proves to be something that is lasting,” he added, “something that is durable, then I think that’s where you give credit.”
Israel and Hamas are in the first stages of a deal that the United States brokered after more than two years of conflict. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel and Hamas have started to release Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages, though Israel has noted that one of the bodies returned didn’t appear to be one of the hostages.
Yet the agreement has remained a fragile one as Hamas has killed more than 30 people since the ceasefire started, while NPR reported that the Israeli military killed at least half a dozen Palestinians.
Mamdani has been scrutinized over the course of his campaign over his views on the “globalize the intifada” phrase and his views on Israel.
The New York State Assembly member received criticism for not condemning the phrase, which he has not used himself. Pro-Israel activists say it risks inciting violence against Zionists and Jews, while pro-Palestinian activists equate it largely with Palestinian liberation.
He has since said that he would not use it and would discourage others from using it.
He’s also described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Mamdani last week if Trump deserved credit for the Israel-Hamas deal, where he struck a similar tone.
“I’ll say that the news of a ceasefire leaves me with hope, the images of children celebrating. And I pray that it is lasting. I pray that it delivers peace,” he said. “And I think that the question of praise should come in the enforcement of this ceasefire. Because what this agreement can never do is erase what the last few years of tragedy have been for so many, whether it be Hamas’s horrific war crime of October 7th, or the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians since.”
Pressed by Collins on at what point he believed Trump should deserve credit, Mamdani said, “If the genocide ends, then I think that’s something worthy to be praised. And if the hostages are returned. Those things together have to be done in tandem.”