ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S victory winning the race to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor came as Democrats swept through the first major elections of Donald Trump’s second term – and constituted a victory for Palestine.
Mamdani, 34, becomes New York City’s first Muslim mayor and youngest person in over a century to lead the largest city in the US.
‘In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light,’ Mamdani said in a victory speech where he outlined his policies and addressed Trump directly.
President Trump, who had threatened to cut NYC’s federal funding if Mamdani won over independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, wrote on social media: ‘And so it begins!’.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk commented on Tuesday evening that it would now be difficult for the UN Security Council to pass the US-backed proposal to deploy an international force in Gaza, to defeat Hamas.
In media remarks, Abu Marzouk revealed that mediators have insisted that the creation of such a force be authorised by a UN Security Council resolution. However, he noted that neither the United States nor Israel is eager to have the force established under UN auspices.
He stressed that Hamas ‘cannot accept any military force that acts as a substitute for the Israeli occupation army in Gaza,’ rejecting any plan that would extend or rebrand the occupation under international cover.
Abu Marzouk also reported that Hamas has documented more than 190 Israeli ceasefire violations since the truce came into effect on October 11.
He underlined that there is Palestinian consensus that any security or stability force operating in Gaza must be Palestinian-led under the authority of the Strip’s administrative committee.
Meanwhile, the US-based news outlet Axios reported that Washington has circulated a draft resolution among UN Security Council members proposing the establishment of an international force in Gaza for at least two years.
According to the report, the proposal would grant the United States and participating states broad authority to govern Gaza and maintain security until the end of 2027, with the option of extension. It is to be a US led occupation!
Fears of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe are mounting in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing devastation left by Israel’s genocidal war, with residents facing collapsing infrastructure, severe environmental risks, and life-threatening health conditions, with many young people dying.
In the city of Khan Younis, residents of the Al-Amari neighbourhood voiced growing alarm over the rising levels of wastewater mixed with rain, threatening to overflow into nearby homes and neighbourhoods. Locals warn of an impending environmental catastrophe as sewage systems remain crippled by the destruction of vital infrastructure.
The Network of Civil Society Organisations in Gaza said the territory is still suffering from ‘a real famine’,with humanitarian aid entering through crossings meeting no more than 30% of basic needs.
Despite massive losses, UNRWA continues to serve as the backbone of humanitarian operations, though many of its facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
Stefanos Fotio, head of the UN Food Systems Coordination Centre, yesterday called for the immediate reopening of Gaza’s border crossings to rehabilitate the food supply network and ensure the entry of essential humanitarian aid.
UNRWA reported that around 75,000 displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering in over 100 of its heavily damaged buildings, where conditions are ‘extremely harsh’ due to overcrowding, lack of clean water and food, and the spread of diseases caused by failing sanitation systems.
The agency warned of an imminent humanitarian collapse unless urgent international action is taken to protect civilians and improve living conditions.
A UN deputy spokesperson revealed that 81% of Gaza’s structures have been completely destroyed, describing the devastation as ‘unprecedented in modern history.’ The UN has officially classified Israel’s campaign in Gaza as genocide. Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said unexploded ordnance scattered throughout Gaza has become a ticking time bomb. The time has come when the trades unions of the world must call general strike actions to bring food to Palestine and end the attempt to starve and murder its people.
