JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

As part of a “psychological warfare” tactic against Palestinians, the Israeli army will play Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Friday UN General Assembly address into the besieged Gaza Strip via loudspeakers, Israeli media reported.

“The army’s Southern Command will broadcast the prime minister’s speech at the UN through loudspeakers inside the Gaza Strip today (Friday),” said Israeli broadcasting authority KAN.

The reason for this step is unclear, KAN added, quoting one unnamed source as saying that Netanyahu “would emphasize in his speech the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli military bases, which was considered the greatest security breach in Tel Aviv’s history.”

Adding to the story, Israel’s Channel 12 reported: “In recent days, the Prime Minister’s Office asked the Israeli army to set up loudspeakers at various points inside Gaza so that residents (Palestinians) could hear Netanyahu’s speech at the UN.”

The channel added that the Prime Minister’s Office and the army refused to comment on this step.

Quoting unnamed military sources, it said the request by Netanyahu’s office “could pose an operational risk to soldiers, who would have to leave fortified positions to install the loudspeakers.”

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a senior officer as saying: “It’s a crazy idea, no one understands what the military benefit of it is.”

Another unnamed Israeli source told the paper that the move was part of “psychological warfare.”

Netanyahu’s Friday address to the UN General Assembly in New York coincides with 4 pm in Palestine and Israel (1300GMT).

Since Hamas’ October 2023 cross-border raid on Israel, which killed fewer than 1,200 people, the Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment and a blockade of humanitarian aid have rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and led to widespread starvation and the spread of disease.