Netanyahu Speech Broadcast Into Gaza Amid US Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s U.N. General Assembly speech — in which he urged Hamas to surrender and said Israel must “finish the job” — was broadcast toward Gaza using military loudspeakers along the border and reportedly streamed to Gazan cellphones (claims of phone hijacking remain unproven), prompting mass walkouts at the U.N. and outrage from soldiers’ families, some military figures and opposition politicians. The broadcast deepened diplomatic fractures as the U.S. unveiled a 21-point proposal at the U.N. calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages within 48 hours, a phased Israeli withdrawal, large humanitarian aid flows and a temporary return of the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza under an international security arrangement. President Trump said the plan, discussed with Arab and Muslim leaders, may be close to a deal, and Netanyahu is set to meet Trump in Washington amid mounting international pressure to end the war. Some coalition ministers have threatened to topple the government if Netanyahu accepts PA governance or ends the war without defeating Hamas, while ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other legal and diplomatic pressures complicate decision-making. Israel’s defence minister warned Gaza could be “destroyed” if Hamas does not surrender as ground operations intensify, with reports of mass evacuations and robotic strikes.