Netanyahu Dismisses Gaza Genocide Allegations as Dozens of U.N. Delegates Walk Out

The war in Gaza has been a major focus for world leaders addressing the U.N. in New York this week. 

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, whose nearly decade-long tenure leading the international body comes to an end at the start of next year, said during his address on Tuesday that Gaza has experienced “a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in all my years as Secretary-General.” He added that Israel’s “violence, displacement and settlement expansion” raised the “specter of ethnic cleansing.”

Trump said the war in Gaza was over. He took credit for ending it, “saving untold thousands of lives,” and brokering the return of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. But key elements of the peace agreement Trump helped broker in October 2025—including Hamas’ disarmament, a long-term plan for governing Gaza, and the delivery of humanitarian aid—remain largely stalled. 

Other world leaders called for greater international action over the continuing suffering in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron asked “what is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza?” during his speech on Tuesday. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the same day: “We will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution, the best hope for peace and stability for both nations, comes under attack.”