Mass Walkout During Netanyahu Address, Dozens Arrested

Most state delegations staged a mass walkout of the U.N. General Assembly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address rejecting accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza, saying Israel is “deliberately feeding” Gazans and taking unprecedented measures to minimize civilian casualties. His remarks came amid reports that more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Several hundred protesters, led by families of hostages held in Gaza, demonstrated outside the UN during the speech, accusing Netanyahu of neglecting hostages and criticizing his decision to read only some names. Dozens of demonstrators were arrested early near Netanyahu’s New York hotel after noisy protests, while larger multi-issue demonstrations across Midtown—including anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists, anti-Trump and climate protesters—snarled traffic and resulted in roughly 50–60 arrests. The protests coincided with renewed international pressure on Israel, including recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood by several Western countries, underscoring deepening global and domestic divisions over the Gaza war, the hostage crisis and diplomatic responses.