During his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed a grim outlook on the Gaza conflict, indicating no foreseeable resolution despite widespread global criticism.
He also rejected the conclusions of a UN commission that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, arguing that the forced displacement of civilians invalidated such claims.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Below is an analysis of some of Netanyahu’s principal assertions, verified for accuracy.
Netanyahu’s Statements Regarding Gaza
Assertion: The conflict could cease immediately if Hamas complies with Israel’s conditions.
Fact check: Despite this claim, Israel, backed politically and militarily by the United States, has consistently obstructed multiple ceasefire initiatives in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s administration has faced sharp criticism from families of hostages held in Gaza and from hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who have rallied to demand an end to hostilities and the safe return of captives.
On March 18, Israel derailed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas by killing over 400 Palestinians and imposing a comprehensive blockade that has since caused severe food shortages in the territory.
More recently, Israel announced acceptance of another ceasefire proposal but immediately launched an airstrike on Qatar, aiming to eliminate Hamas’s external leadership, effectively sabotaging any prospects for negotiation.
Assertion: Israel is making significant efforts to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
Fact check: Contrary to Netanyahu’s claim that civilian deaths are less than twice the number of combatant fatalities, an August investigation revealed that classified Israeli records indicate 83% of those killed in Gaza were non-combatants.
Research conducted by +972 magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian found that among 8,900 names listed as Hamas fighters, some were only “probably” deceased, suggesting the civilian death toll could be even higher.
Assertion: Hamas endangers civilians by using them as human shields.
Fact check: Netanyahu’s assertion that Hamas embeds itself within mosques, schools, hospitals, and residential buildings to coerce civilians into remaining in harm’s way is a familiar justification Israel uses for targeting civilian shelters.
This includes critical infrastructure such as hospitals, educational institutions, places of worship, water treatment plants, and power stations essential for survival.
However, no concrete evidence has been presented to prove that Hamas or other militants use these civilian sites as “military command centers.”
Assertion: A nation perpetrating genocide would not urge civilians to evacuate areas targeted by its bombs.
Netanyahu argues that Israel’s forced evacuation orders, which give families minimal time to abandon their homes or face deadly consequences, contradict international findings of genocide in Gaza.
Nonetheless, the International Court of Justice, a UN inquiry commission, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, numerous human rights organizations-including Israeli group B’Tselem and Amnesty International-and several countries have concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocidal conduct.
Additionally, UN agencies and humanitarian workers on the ground report that Israel systematically obstructs aid deliveries, fostering a perilous environment where aid supplies are frequently looted.
Assertion: Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid; rather, Hamas is diverting aid from Palestinians.
Fact check: Multiple investigations, including reports from the Israeli military and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), have found no evidence that Hamas is stealing the limited aid allowed into Gaza.
Israel has intermittently enforced total blockades on aid entering Gaza, most recently from March to May this year.
In May, Israel endorsed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as the sole aid distributor, operating only four distribution points for Gaza’s two million residents.
The GHF’s facilities are guarded by armed personnel and Israeli soldiers, and over 1,000 people have died attempting to access food aid there.
Conversely, Netanyahu has openly acknowledged that his government supports a Palestinian militia in Gaza reported to be looting aid shipments.
Netanyahu’s Assertions on Regional Issues
Assertion: Iran is swiftly advancing a vast nuclear weapons program and an extensive ballistic missile arsenal intended to annihilate Israel, threaten the US, and coerce other nations.
Fact check: Iran maintains that its nuclear program, active for over twenty years, is solely for peaceful civilian purposes and denies any intention to develop nuclear arms.
Unlike Israel, which is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, Iran currently does not have a nuclear arsenal.
Concerns in the 2000s about Iran’s nuclear ambitions led to UN sanctions, which were eased following the 2015 nuclear agreement that limited Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities.
After the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 under President Trump, Iran incrementally increased its enrichment levels to nearly 60%, approaching the threshold for weapons-grade material, though it insists it will not produce nuclear weapons.
Assertion: Israel has assassinated Iran’s leading military commanders and top nuclear scientists.
Fact check: Israel has successfully targeted and killed numerous senior Iranian military figures and nuclear experts, yet Iranian officials assert that such actions will not deter their strategic objectives.
They report that some air defense systems remain operational or have been restored, and Iran has warned of further retaliatory attacks if Israel continues its strikes.
Assertion: Israel has eliminated half of the leadership of the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah, dismantled Syrian military assets under Bashar al-Assad, and deterred Shia militias in Iraq.
Fact check: The Israeli military has conducted multiple strikes in Yemen, including its largest recent attack on Sanaa, targeting the Houthi General Staff headquarters and killing the Houthi prime minister and other officials last month.
Despite these actions, the Houthi military command remains intact and continues to launch drone and missile attacks against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel has assassinated many senior Hezbollah leaders, including its long-time secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, yet the group remains defiant and committed to resisting Israel.
Similarly, Israel has killed prominent Hamas political and military figures such as Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Although Hamas has been weakened, it continues to resist Israeli ground forces in Gaza and is actively recruiting new fighters.
Following the decline of the Assad regime, Israel has persistently targeted Syrian military infrastructure, destroying significant assets. It also maintains a military presence in the Golan Heights and southern Syria, citing security concerns.
