Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly used the UN General Assembly to defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. However, several statements made in speeches from 2024 to 2026 have conflicted with findings from UN bodies, humanitarian organizations, US agencies and information linked to Israel’s own military.
A review of five major claims highlights significant differences between Netanyahu’s statements and available documented evidence.
Genocide Allegations
During his 2026 UN speech, Netanyahu described accusations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza as “the greatest lie of the century.” He argued that Israel’s warnings to civilians, vaccination efforts and delivery of food were inconsistent with genocide allegations.
However, a UN-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry reached a different conclusion in September 2025. After reviewing witness accounts, satellite imagery, official statements and other evidence, the commission said there were reasonable grounds to conclude that Israeli authorities and forces had committed four of the five acts listed as genocide under the Genocide Convention.
The commission also said statements made by Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials contributed to evidence concerning genocidal intent. Israel rejected the commission’s conclusions.
The International Court of Justice has not yet issued a final ruling in South Africa’s genocide case, although it has ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts covered by the Genocide Convention and facilitate urgently needed humanitarian assistance.
Civilian Casualties
Netanyahu said at the 2025 UN General Assembly that the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths in Gaza was below two to one, describing it as exceptionally low.
However, an investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call, based on a classified Israeli military intelligence database, reported that by May 2025 around 8,900 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters had been identified as killed or probably killed. At the same time, the overall number of Palestinian deaths was around 53,000.
According to the investigation, the figures indicated that civilians represented approximately 83% of those killed.
Since the war began in October 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths and approximately 175,000 injuries.
Claims of Aid Diversion
Netanyahu has repeatedly accused Hamas of taking substantial amounts of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza. In his 2026 UN address, he said Hamas had stolen much of the food Israel allowed into the territory.
However, a US Agency for International Development review found no evidence of systematic diversion of US-funded aid by Hamas. The review examined 156 reported cases of theft or loss between October 2023 and May 2025 and found no evidence that Hamas had benefited from the incidents.
Israeli military officials were also reported to have found no evidence that Hamas systematically diverted UN aid, with some describing the UN distribution system as largely effective.
Food Deliveries And Famine
Netanyahu also cited Israel’s facilitation of approximately 2 million tons of food entering Gaza, arguing that the amount undermined claims of starvation and genocide.
Humanitarian agencies, however, distinguish between aid entering Gaza and supplies actually reaching civilians. UN agencies have reported that insecurity, damaged infrastructure, access restrictions and military operations have repeatedly disrupted the collection and distribution of assistance.
Israel imposed a complete halt on goods and humanitarian supplies entering Gaza from March 2 to May 18, 2025, while humanitarian access has also faced repeated restrictions and interruptions during the conflict.
In August 2025, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine conditions in Gaza Governorate, reporting that more than 500,000 people were experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
The latest IPC assessment projects that approximately 1.4 million people will continue to face high levels of acute food insecurity through December 2026.
Violence In The West Bank
Netanyahu described violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as the actions of a small group of around 150 “juvenile delinquents.” He also suggested that only a small number of Palestinians had been killed in such incidents.
UN monitoring presents a broader picture. By July 20, 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had documented more than 1,330 settler attacks involving casualties or property damage since the beginning of the year.
OCHA also recorded 18 Palestinian deaths connected to settler attacks during that period. Twelve were attributed to settlers, three to Israeli forces and three occurred in cases where responsibility remained disputed.
Between January 2023 and July 2026, OCHA reported that settler attacks and related movement restrictions had contributed to the complete or partial displacement of residents from 121 Palestinian communities.
These documented figures provide a substantially broader account of settler violence than the limited description presented by Netanyahu.
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