Dozens of delegates have walked out of the UN General Assembly hall as Benjamin Netanyahu started his address. Follow the latest below.
Friday 26 September 2025 14:39, UK
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Benjamin Netanyahu now turns to the countries that have been recognising a Palestinian state.
He says “every government” should follow Donald Trump’s lead in refusing to take the move.
“Instead, many do the opposite,” he says.
“They actually reward the worst antisemites on earth.”
Netanyahu says “nearly 90% of Palestinians” supported the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, and describes the move to recognise a Palestinian state as a “very clear message”.
“Murdering Jews pays off,” he adds.
“I have a message for these leaders, when the most savage terrorists on earth and effusively praising your decision, you didn’t do something right, you did something wrong.
Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.”
Next up in his speech, Netanyahu addresses Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza City.
The Israeli leader tries to refute several criticisms of his war in Gaza, including accusations of huge numbers of civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis there.
He also says Israel has been targeting “terror tunnels” and “terror towers” in the urban centre.
Netanyahu is trying to frame Hamas as responsible for the conditions Palestinians find themselves in.
He adds that 700,000 people have left Gaza City since Israel issued its first evacuation demands this month.
For context: More than 300,000 people have fled Gaza City in recent weeks as Israel has ordered the population to move south, but UN agencies and aid groups say an estimated 700,000 remain.
More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than half of them women and children.
Its figure does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Benjamin Netanyahu says “many world leaders have buckled” in their support of Israel following 7 October 2023.
“They buckled under the pressure of a bias media, radical Islamist constituent voices and antisemitic mobs,” he says.
“There’s a familiar saying, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Well, for many countries here, when the going got tough you caved.”
He says Israel has been fighting a “seven-front war against barbarism” for much of the last two years.
“Astoundingly, as we fight the terrorists who murdered many of your citizens, you are fighting us,” he adds.
“You condemn us, you embargo us and you wage political and legal warfare.”
He goes on to tell the UN “it’s an indictment of you, it’s an indictment of weak kneed leaders who appease evil rather than support a nation whose brave soldiers guard you from the barbarians at the gate”.
Netanyahu’s comments come days after a wave of countries – including the UK, France and Canada – recognised a Palestinian state.
We’re bringing you all the latest from inside the UN General Assembly, but outside, protesters have assembled in New York.
People are waving Palestinian flags and chanting.
Some signs read: “End all US aid to Israel”.
There is also a pro-Israel protest, where Israeli flags are being waved.
As we said ahead of his address, Netanyahu was expected to use props and he’s rolled out a small pop quiz now.
The first question he asks is: “Who shouts death to America?”
He gives the following as possible answers:
Netanyahu says the answer is “all of the above”.
He asks a second question – “Who has murdered Americans and Europeans in cold blood?”
The answers are:
The answer was again “all of the above”, Netanyahu says.
He uses the quiz to try and frame Israel’s enemies as enemies to all of the West and the UN.
“Here’s the point I wanted to make: our enemies hate all of us with equal venom. They want to drag the modern world back to the past, to a dark age of violence, fanaticism and terror. I think many of you are already feeling in your own societies,” he says.
Benjamin Netanyahu now says he wants to speak directly to the hostages through the loudspeakers in Gaza.
He begins his message in Hebrew before repeating it in English.
“Our brave heroes, this is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations,” he says.
“We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you, we will not falter, and we will not rest until we bring all of you home.”
Now, in a direct message to Hamas, Netanyahu says “free the hostages now”.
“If you do, you will live,” he says.
“If you don’t, Israel will hunt you down.”
For context: Leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, have previously suggested Netanyahu’s actions indicate he is not interested in securing the release of the remaining hostages.
Families of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas have also said Netanyahu is the “one obstacle” preventing their return and reaching a peace deal.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Israel’s strike on Qatar earlier this month showed “every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it”.
“The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the 48 hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu,” they said.
“The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power.”
After the threat of Iran, Netanyahu goes on to talk about Israel’s ongoing assault of Gaza City.
And, as our experts said, the Israeli prime minister focuses on the 7 October attack.
He says:
“The final elements, the final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City. They vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again and again, no matter how diminished their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job. That is why we want to do so as fast as possible.”
He goes on to add: “Ladies and gentlemen, much of the world no longer remembers October 7th. But we remember.”
Netanyahu details what happened on 7 October, where Hamas and militant groups surged over the Israeli-Gaza border and killed 1,200 people, kidnapping around 250.
Of the 48 hostages left in Gaza, Netanyahu says 20 are alive and he names them.
Benjamin Netanyahu is now telling the UN “where things stands today”.
“Half of the Houthi leadership, gone,” he says.
“Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, gone.
“The Assad regime in Syria, gone.
“Those militias in Iraq, well, they’re still deterred, and their leaders, if they attack Israel, will also be gone.”
Netanyahu now turns to the “12-day war with Iran” as he praises Israel’s “daring pilots”.
“I want to thank president Trump for his bold and decisive action,” he adds.
“President Trump and I promise to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and we delivered on that promise.
“We removed an existential threat to Israel and a mortal threat to the civilised world.”
Beginning his speech to the general assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the hostages who remain in Gaza.
“Mr president, the families of our dear hostages are languishing in the dungeons of Gaza,” he says.
He then quickly moves on to discussing the threat of Iran and its proxies, showing the hall a map he used last year.
“Last year, I stood at this podium and I showed this map. It shows the curse of Iran’s terror axis. This axis threatens the peace of the entire world.”
Netanyahu outlines what he describes as a “terror axis” and says that since he spoke about them last year, Israel has targeted Iran and its proxies across the Middle East.
He makes special mention of a pager attack on Hezbollah fighters and attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
During many of these remarks, some delegates cheer his comments.
Dozens of delegates walked out of the hall at the General Assembly as Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium.
Such an act was expected, with Israel’s ambassador to the UN claiming earlier it was organised by the Palestinian mission in the US.
Last year, a similar incident unfolded.
Meanwhile, other delegates stood up and cheered.
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