Benjamin Netanyahu issued a chilling warning while delivering his speech at the United Nations’ General Assembly on Friday.
In a move typical of his UNGA speeches, the Israeli Prime Minister held a map of what he called the “curse of Iran’s terror axis.”
“This axis threatened the peace of the entire world, the stability of our region and the very existence of my country, Israel,” he said, claiming that Israel “hammered” the Houthis — an Islamic political group from Yemen — destroyed “the bulk of the Hamas terror machine,” and “crippled Hezbollah.”
While holding up his map, Netanyahu tapped several countries and named all the different leaders, including Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, and Iran’s top atomic scientists.
“All gone,” he said, crossing them out with a black marker.
As Netanyahu took the stage, dozens of U.N. members stormed out of the New York City headquarters. The general assembly hall looked empty as the prime minister gave his address.
His speech comes as Israel steams ahead with its latest offensive in Gaza City following attacks on Hamas’ headquarters in Doha earlier this month, which was condemned by the likes of longtime ally U.S. President Donald Trump for straining ceasefire efforts.
Netanyahu appeared to suggest that the world didn’t remember the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. “But we remember,” he said, pointing to a QR code on a badge pinned to his jacket, which contains the reason “why we fight, and why we must win.”
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While discussing the attack on Oct. 7, Netanyahu explained that some of those taken hostage were Holocaust survivors, as well as grandparents and grandchildren.
Israel has brought 207 hostages home, he said, but 48 remain in Gaza. Twenty are still alive, according to the prime minister, who read out their names from a list before directly speaking to the hostages through loudspeakers set up on the Gaza border by the Israeli military.
“We have not forgotten you,” he said, adding that Israel will not rest “until we bring all of you home.”
A total of 1,200 people were killed in the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas. Since then, at least 65,502 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Netanyahu called on the “remaining” leaders of Hamas to “lay down your arms” and let the remaining hostages go.”If you do you will live, if you don’t, Israel will hunt you down,” he said.
He brought out more placards for a “pop quiz.” The first read, “Who shouts death to America?”, with the answers reading: “a) Iran, b) Hamas, c) Hezbollah, d) Houthis, e) all the above.”
As shouts were heard in the hall, Netanyahu circled the option for “all of the above.”
Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump, saying that he “understands better than any other leader that Israel and America face a common threat,” adding that in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack, many leaders supported Israel, but that support has since “evaporated.”
