UN General Assembly 2025: Diplomats storm out as Netanyahu takes podium

Scores of diplomats walked out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Israel's repeated attacks against several countries across the Middle East.

As soon as Netanyahu took the stage, several diplomats could be seen walking out in haste as Netanyahu entered the great hall to speak from the podium, replicating an act of protest carried out last year. 

The walkout created a line at the exits as people left the room, while the US delegation applauded Netanyahu, who stood in silence during the protest. 

The Brazilian delegation in the hall could be seen wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.

For the past week, the Palestinian Authority's mission to the UN had sent letters to world leaders encouraging them to walk out on Netanyahu during his speech, decrying him as a "war criminal."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu in November 2024, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Gaza since October 2023. 

More than 238,000 Palestinians have either been killed, wounded or are missing since Israel launched its genocidal campaign, with recent reports, based on Israeli military intelligence data, indicating that more than 80 percent of those killed in the enclave until May of this year were civilians.

Almost the entire population have fled their homes at least once, with homes, schools and hospitals devastated by daily air strikes and tank fire.