Delegates walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN General Assembly
By The Guardian, September 26, 2025Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a mixed and tense reception at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, September 26, 2025, as he took the podium to deliver his address.
Dozens of delegates walked out in protest before he began speaking, a symbolic move reflecting global outrage over Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza. As Netanyahu started his speech, the hall echoed with both boos and cheers, highlighting the deep divisions among member states over Israel’s conduct.
As Netanyahu started talking about Iran, there was some shouting from the crowd. There has also been applause in reaction to Netanyahu’s comments about Israel’s war with Iran.
In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Netanyahu said that “Israel must finish the job in Gaza as fast as possible”.
He said the “final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City”.
Speaking to the Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, via loudspeakers facing towards the territory, Netanyahu said he would not rest until all the hostages are brought home. To Hamas, he said:
‘We’ve not forgotten you,’ Netanyahu tells hostages in speech broadcast by troops into Gaza.”
Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and told the hostages still held by the Palestinian militants they were not forgotten as his speech was broadcast on loudspeakers towards Gaza.
Speaking in Hebrew, the Israeli leader said:
We’ve not forgotten you – not even for a second.
Netanyahu catalogued Israeli victories against Hamas and other militant groups backed by Iran in a speech that detailed Hamas’s actions on 7 October 2023, when the militant group attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hostages, 48 of whom remain in Gaza according to Israeli tallies.
“Much of the world no longer remembers 7 October. But we remember,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s military response has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, and left much of the territory in ruins.
Scores of delegates exited the hall as Netanyahu took the stage, while attendees in the balcony rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.
Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for “his bold, decisive action against Iran”. The Israeli prime minister told the UN General Assembly that “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles must be eliminated”.
He urged delegates to “remain clear-minded, vigilant [and] not allow Iran to rebuild (its) nuclear capabilities”.
Netanyahu added that Israel had “removed an existential threat of Iran” to his country.