Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly used the UN General Assembly podium to defend Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, making claims that have been challenged by international bodies, humanitarian agencies and, in some cases, data from Israel’s own military.
In speeches between 2024 and 2026, Netanyahu rejected allegations of genocide, described civilian casualties as exceptionally low, blamed Hamas for Gaza’s aid crisis and played down Israeli occupier violence in the occupied West Bank.
A review of five such claims shows substantial discrepancies between Netanyahu’s account and documented findings.
Genocide allegation is ‘the greatest lie of the century’
In his 2026 UN address, Netanyahu called accusations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza “the greatest lie of the century,” arguing that warnings to civilians, vaccinations and food deliveries were incompatible with genocide.
A UN-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry reached the opposite conclusion in September 2025. After examining witness testimony, satellite imagery, official statements and other evidence, it found reasonable grounds that Israeli authorities and forces had committed four of the five acts defined as genocide under the Genocide Convention.
The commission also concluded that statements by Netanyahu and other senior officials were evidence of genocidal intent. Israel rejected the findings.
The International Court of Justice has not issued a final judgment in South Africa’s genocide case, but has ordered Israel to prevent acts covered by the convention and enable urgently needed humanitarian assistance.
Civilian casualty ratio is exceptionally low
Netanyahu told the General Assembly in 2025 that Gaza’s civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio was below two to one, calling it exceptionally low.
He also said in his Sept. 27, 2024 UN address: “And no army has done what Israel is doing to minimize civilian casualties.”
A joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call, based on a classified Israeli military intelligence database, found that as of May 2025 about 8,900 named Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters were listed as dead or probably dead, compared with an overall death toll of about 53,000.
The figures suggested roughly 83% of those killed were civilians.
Since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 175,000 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hamas stole much of Gaza’s humanitarian aid
Netanyahu has repeatedly accused Hamas of stealing large quantities of aid entering Gaza.
In his 2026 UN address, he said Hamas “stole much of the food we let into Gaza,” as he argued that the group was keeping Palestinian civilians in harm’s way.
An internal US Agency for International Development review found no evidence of systematic diversion of US-funded aid by Hamas. It examined 156 cases of theft or loss between October 2023 and May 2025 and found no indication that Hamas benefited.
Senior Israeli military officials were also reported to have said they found no evidence that Hamas systematically stole UN aid, describing the UN distribution system as largely effective.
Two million tons of food disproves starvation claims
Netanyahu told the UN that Israel had enabled the distribution of 2 million tons of food into Gaza, or about one ton per resident, presenting the figure as evidence against allegations of starvation and genocide.
“What genocidal regime enables the distribution of 2 million tons of food into Gaza? That’s a ton for every person."
But aid entering Gaza is not the same as food reaching civilians. UN agencies have documented restrictions, insecurity, damaged roads and military operations that hindered collection and distribution.
Israel completely halted the entry of goods and humanitarian supplies from March 2 to May 18, 2025, and has repeatedly blocked, restricted, and paused the entry of humanitarian supplies over long periods throughout the conflict
In August 2025, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine in Gaza Governorate, saying more than half a million people across Gaza faced catastrophic conditions marked by starvation, destitution and death.
The latest IPC assessment says 1.4 million people are still projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity through December 2026.
Occupier violence is the work of a small fringe
In his 2026 address, Netanyahu described violence by Israelis in the occupied West Bank as the work of about 150 “juvenile delinquents” and suggested only “two or three” Palestinians had been killed.
UN monitoring shows a far wider pattern.
By July 20, 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had recorded more than 1,330 occupier attacks resulting in casualties or property damage since the start of the year — more than six a day.
OCHA also recorded 18 Palestinian deaths linked to occupier attacks by that date: 12 killed by occupiers, three by Israeli forces and three in cases where responsibility was disputed.
Between January 2023 and July 2026, OCHA said occupier attacks and related access restrictions had caused full or partial displacement in 121 Palestinian communities.
The figures contrast with Netanyahu’s portrayal of occupier violence as a marginal phenomenon.
