Netanyahu tells UN to finish the job against Hamas, rejects Palestinian state

NEW YORK — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday to say Israel must finish the job in its war against Hamas and secure the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, even as dozens of delegates walked out.

Netanyahu said the final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City. He argued they vow to repeat the Oct. 7 atrocities again and again — regardless of their weaker forces — and said Israel must finish the job quickly. "The final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City. They vow to repeat the atrocities of Oct. 7 again and again and again — no matter how diminished their forces," declared Netanyahu, "That is why Israel must finish the job; that is why we want to do so as fast as possible."

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Beyond Gaza, Netanyahu pressed for the total defeat of Iran and its "terror axis" proxies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and he took a victory lap over Israel’s claimed decimation of Hezbollah’s ranks in Lebanon. “Remember those beepers?” Netanyahu said of Israel’s 2024 operation in which explosives were placed inside pagers carried by Hezbollah terrorists. “We paged Hezbollah. And believe me, they got the message. And thousands of terrorists dropped to the ground.” Many delegates walked out before he began speaking, underscoring the polarization of the chamber during the address.

Netanyahu, 75, also rejected recognition of a Palestinian state, arguing that such a move would be dangerous near Jerusalem. “Giving the Palestinians a state, one mile from Jerusalem after Oct. 7,” he said, “is like giving Al Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after Sept. 11.” He described the proposal as madness, vowing, “We will not commit national suicide because you don’t have the guts to face down a hostile media and antisemitic mobs demanding Israel’s blood.” He added that others who moved to recognize a Palestinian state were sending a message that “murdering Jews pays off” while giving Hamas a pass on its genocidal ambitions.

The Israeli leader also framed the broader conflict as a struggle against Iran and its proxies. He argued that defeating Iran’s regional network was essential to any future stability in the Middle East and pointed to developments in Iraq, Syria and Yemen as front lines in that broader contest, even as he highlighted what he portrayed as Hezbollah’s defeat in Lebanon. He asked world leaders to contemplate the consequences of backing a Palestinian state near Jerusalem and warned of continuing regional volatility if Hamas is allowed to survive and regroup.

Israel has faced accusations in some quarters that its war in Gaza is starving civilians. Netanyahu countered that claim by asserting that Israel has supplied Gaza with large quantities of food and humanitarian aid, stating that, since the war began, Israel has delivered more than two million tons of food and aid into Gaza. He characterized such assistance as evidence that Israel does not pursue starvation and argued that critics were manipulating humanitarian narratives to pressure Israel into concessions.

To the remaining Hamas leaders and to the jailers of our hostages, Netanyahu quoted Moses and delivered a direct message: “Lay down your arms. Let my people go.” He pressed the claim that all hostages must be released, saying, “Free the hostages, all of them, the whole 48, free the hostages,” and stressed that Israel would not cease its pursuit until every captive is brought home. The remarks were broadcast to Gaza via loudspeakers as part of a broader effort to communicate directly with those held in captivity and with civilians in the territory.

The UN appearance comes as Netanyahu’s government continues its Gaza operations and as Israel seeks to frame its campaign as a multi-front struggle against a regional terror network that extends beyond Hamas. While some Western governments have moved to recognize a Palestinian state in recent months, Netanyahu’s speech underscored the ongoing debate over what peace and security in the Middle East will require from Israel and its neighbors in a volatile region.

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