Desk Report:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. The speech was broadcast over loudspeakers on Israel’s southern border with Gaza. However, many Gazans claimed they could not hear it.
In the speech, Netanyahu criticized countries that have recognized Palestine as a state. Representatives of several countries left the meeting room in protest of Israeli atrocities in Gaza before Netanyahu began his speech.
In the speech, Netanyahu claimed that his speech was being broadcast over loudspeakers in various parts of Gaza. He claimed that it was also delivered to Gaza residents’ mobile phones. However, not all Gazans heard it. And not all of those who did listen paid attention.
“We could hear some sounds from a distance, but it was unclear because of the crowd and the noise,” Fadi, a Gaza resident, told the BBC.
Fadi also asked, “What’s the point of forcing his speech inside the tents of the besieged civilians?”
On the other hand, those in Rafah, south of Gaza, could not hear anything.
Randa Hanan, a 30-year-old displaced Palestinian woman who has taken refuge in the town of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, told AFP that Netanyahu’s claim was untrue. “It’s a lie. We didn’t receive any messages or phone calls. We didn’t even hear any loudspeakers.”
Hanan said she had not been able to hear Netanyahu’s speech, although she would have liked to have heard it, except after seeing pictures of loudspeakers in Israeli media.
She added, “Honestly, what if they really tried to drive trucks with speakers around Gaza. I think they were very scared.
Netanyahu warned Hamas members to lay down their weapons and release the remaining hostages. Hamas issued a lengthy statement on Telegram in response to the speech.
The statement said Netanyahu had given a “misleading” speech that was “constantly filled with blatant lies and self-contradictory information.”
Hamas added that lies cannot replace truth. It believes that what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip, namely “an occupation” through “lies, disinformation and systematic killings,” is something the world is “more and more aware of.”
Hamas concluded its statement by demanding that the world take action to stop the killings in Gaza and force Israel to withdraw its troops from the territory, allow food and medicine to enter, and complete steps to recognize a Palestinian state.
Despite Netanyahu’s lack of any indication of a halt to the offensive, US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that he was close to a deal to end the war and free the hostages.
“It looks like we’re on the verge of a deal on Gaza. I think this deal will see the hostages released. It will be a deal that will end the war,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He gave no details or a timeline. Trump is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Monday.
