ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promoted “eight major lies” in his speech to the UN General Assembly, calling it an attempt to justify his war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Media Office said Friday.

In a statement, the office said Netanyahu’s speech was “misleading” and filled with contradictions, noting that he downplayed the suffering of hostages, exaggerated international support for Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, and misrepresented global recognition of Palestinian rights as “pressure from extremists.”

The office rejected Netanyahu’s claim that Israel is waging war on “seven fronts” to fight terrorism, saying the campaign targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza. It cited international reports stating that 94% of Palestinians killed were civilians, including more than 30,000 women and children, and that more than 90% of hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure had been destroyed.

It also said Netanyahu contradicted himself by accusing Palestinian resistance factions of preventing people from leaving Gaza while at the same time claiming that 700,000 had been displaced.

The statement asserted that Israel committed genocide by dropping more than 200,000 tons of explosives on residential areas, killing over 64,000 civilians, including 20,000 children and 10,500 women, and wiping out entire families.

The office dismissed Netanyahu’s claim that Palestinian resistance groups stole aid while Israel provided food, accusing the Israeli military of creating “death traps” around aid convoys that killed or wounded thousands of civilians. It said hundreds had died from hunger, including 147 children.

The statement added that Netanyahu’s criticism of countries recognizing Palestine was false, arguing that recognition is a legal right and reflects the international community’s acknowledgment of Palestinian rights after decades of displacement and violence.

The office said Netanyahu’s remarks were an attempt to “distort facts and evade legal responsibility” for decades of killings, forced displacement, and destruction, calling them crimes under international law.

It called on the international community to stop the war, force Israel to withdraw from Gaza, open border crossings, allow food and medicine into the enclave, and continue steps toward recognizing a Palestinian state.

In his speech, Netanyahu on Friday used his address to the UN to reject accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza. Netanyahu’s speech at the global podium came amid a walkout from a large number of delegates in protest over Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.