Mass departures took place from the United Nations General Assembly hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered to deliver his speech.

At the same time, Netanyahu’s supporters tried to draw attention away from the spectacle by applauding loudly and remaining standing for several minutes.

“Last year they showed you that map that displayed the course of the axis of evil from Iran. The axis that threatened the stability of the planet and my country. We hit the Houthis — even yesterday; we dismantled Hamas, we struck Hezbollah — you will remember the bombers — I think they got the message, and of course we control the situation in Syria and, above all, we dismantled the nuclear program and the conventional arsenal of Iran,” the Israeli prime minister said at the start of his speech, and it’s worth noting that he ordered loudspeakers to be set up in the Gaza Strip so that what he says can be heard there.

“I want to personally thank President Trump, who committed himself to our fight and was there so that together we could save millions of lives. But we must remain on full alert. Iran must never again be in a position to enrich uranium from scratch. Sanctions must be reimposed; we must eliminate any possibility of a comeback. They are not finished yet. Despite the losses, the core elements of Hamas remain today in Gaza City and we must finish what began on October 7 — and we will,” Netanyahu continued, and he revealed that the pin he wore on his lapel corresponds to a QR code linking to a special video bearing the message “why we fight and we will win.”

Referring to the hostages, the Israeli prime minister said: “I will speak directly to the hostages who remain in Gaza — first in Hebrew and then in English — from the podium, and they will hear me from the loudspeakers we have placed inside Gaza. I am Prime Minister Netanyahu: we have not forgotten you, we will never forget you. We will not rest until we bring you all back.”

In his message to Hamas, Netanyahu said: “‘Drop your weapons. Surrender, free our people now’ — that is the message we just sent to every mobile phone in Gaza. ‘If you surrender you will live; if not, we will pursue you to the very end.’ If that happens, the war in Gaza will end immediately.”

“Behind closed doors the leaders who publicly criticize us have thanked us for the fight we are waging for all of you. Chancellor Merz recently said that Israel is doing the ‘dirty’ work for all of us. In Gaza we are uprooting Hamas’s terrorist regime and ensuring that it will never threaten us again. The same would be done to any enemy of the country by the United States themselves,” the Israeli prime minister said at another point and continued:

“I’m sorry to say it, but there are many countries and leaders here today who, when things got truly difficult, gave in. Instead of fighting those who even killed your own citizens, you support their murderers. You criticize us for doing what you do not have the courage to do. When will you learn that to defeat the enemy you must fight them and not flee the battle? Israel is accused of committing genocide, but the exact opposite is happening. Israel has taken more measures than any other army in history to protect civilians. If you want to see the measures we take, just look at what we are doing now in Gaza City. We inform civilians by every means at the same time that Hamas turns them into human shields at those locations. For Israel every human loss is a tragedy; for Hamas it is an opportunity. Seven hundred thousand civilians, thanks to Israel’s actions, are today in safe locations in the enclave. What country that wants to commit genocide would facilitate the flight of civilians? Did the Nazis tell the Jews ‘leave because you are not safe’? Of course not.”

On the situation in the Gaza Strip and the accusations of famine he said: “Israel is accused of causing famine in Gaza, but here too the opposite is true. Just last week we allowed the entry of 2 tons of humanitarian aid and food into the enclave. Again, Hamas exploits the situation. Last month even the United Nations — not a friend of Israel — reported that Hamas stole 75% of the humanitarian aid. Antisemitism dies hard — in fact it never dies — with the same lies that have, over time, poisoned people’s souls. Citizens of Israel have been attacked everywhere in the world.”

On recognition of a Palestinian state by major countries, Netanyahu said: “The governments of France, Britain and Australia recognized a Palestinian State in people who in 90% supported the events of October 7 — and not only supported them, but they cheered and celebrated. The message those leaders send is clear: the murder of Jews pays well. My message to them is that you encourage terrorism with a cowardly decision. The two-state solution they advocate has a serious problem: the Palestinians themselves do not believe in it. Every time it has been proposed to them they have rejected it. Every time they were given land they attacked us. They had a Palestinian state in Gaza — and what did they do from there? The persistent refusal of the Palestinians to recognize the state of Israel is the issue, not the recognition of a Palestinian state. This is not only true of Hamas but of all Palestinians, even the most moderate. Giving the Palestinians a state a mile from Jerusalem after what happened on October 7 is like giving Al Qaeda a state a mile from New York.”

On peace talks with Syria and Lebanon, the Israeli prime minister said that “the idea of peace with that country (Syria) for decades would have been unthinkable. Today, however, we are closer than ever. We are in discussions with the new regime for a peace that is stable for us, for them, and for the Druze minority. Peace with Lebanon is equally possible. We are in talks for the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. If they do not remain in words, then yes, there will be lasting peace. Until then, we will remain on alert and protect our interests. If the new government in Lebanon continues, then peace will come and it will be enduring. In the coming years the Middle East will be very different, much better. With what we are doing today, peace will be everywhere. We are ready for a new Iran; we are willing to make Iran great again together with the people of that country.”