Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used an address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2026 to issue a forceful defence of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its military campaign has brought genocide allegations and widening international scrutiny.
Netanyahu rejected the accusation in stark terms, calling it “the biggest lie of the century”. He told delegates: “Here's the simple truth. Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide”.
Scores of United Nations delegates left the chamber during the address in protest. Netanyahu condemned those who walked out as “moral cowards”. The walkout was the clearest immediate response described from the hall, while the identities and number of delegates involved were not specified.
The speech came as Israel faces a genocide case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice. The court has ordered Israel to take provisional measures under the Genocide Convention, though it has yet to decide whether Israel has committed genocide.
Other bodies have reached conclusions that Netanyahu rejects. An independent United Nations commission of inquiry concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has also said that Israeli policies and actions met the legal definition of genocide.
Israel denies committing genocide or war crimes, and also rejects the allegation that it is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. Netanyahu described the Israel Defense Forces as “the most moral army in the world”. He cited Israel’s facilitation of food aid and polio vaccination campaigns in Gaza as part of his defence of the country’s actions.
Netanyahu returned repeatedly to the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in the attack. Netanyahu said that death toll was equivalent to 40,000 innocent Americans being slaughtered in less than 24 hours. He also said it was 16 times the death count of the 9/11 attacks.
The prime minister also addressed Iran, saying that attacking the country “was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make”. His remarks did not make clear whether he was referring to a past action or a possible future decision.
His criticism extended to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Netanyahu called “the antisemitic mayor of New York”. Netanyahu accused Mamdani of backing Hamas and of inciting riots against New York Jews.
Mamdani has denied supporting Hamas. He responded by accusing Netanyahu of using the General Assembly speech to “repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians”.
The exchange showed how the Gaza war has moved beyond the battlefield into international courts, multilateral institutions and domestic political debates abroad. Netanyahu’s address set Israel’s formal rejection of the genocide charge against findings by a United Nations inquiry and an association of genocide scholars, while the International Court of Justice case remains unresolved.
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