DELEGATES stormed out of the United Nations general assembly today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began giving his annual speech to the body.

This came as his country’s troops killed more than 40 Palestinians in Gaza and arrested dozens in the occupied West Bank.

The far-right Israeli prime minister, who is facing increasing international isolation, held up a map – a common practice during his UNGA speeches – of what he said was “Iran’s terror axis.”

He listed Israel’s attacks and assassinations in the region, claiming that he had reshaped the Middle East. He hailed an Israeli operation that indiscriminately detonated pagers in Lebanon, saying: “You remember those beepers, the pagers. We paged Hezbollah and, believe me, they got the message.”

Mr Netanyahu took credit for the fall of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, not mentioning that the long-serving leader had been toppled by a jihadist offensive. He also pointed to the Israeli killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, top Hamas officials, Houthi leaders and Iranian scientists.

The Israeli premier said that even though Hamas forces had been diminished, they still posed a threat and “vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7.”

“Thanks to the resolve of our people, the courage of our soldiers and the bold decisions we took, Israel rebounded from its darkest day to deliver one of the most stunning military comebacks in history,” he said.

Showing no inclination to consider any steps towards a ceasefire, he added: “But, we’re not done yet.”

Referring to the mounting criticism of his country in recent weeks, Mr Netanyahu claimed it was all empty posturing.

“I want to tell you a secret that, behind closed doors, many of the leaders who publicly condemn us privately thank us.

“They tell me how much they value Israel’s superb intelligence services that have prevented, time and again, terrorist attacks in their capitals, time and again, saving countless lives,” he said.

Mr Netayahu also dismissed the idea of Palestinian statehood, claiming that “giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving al-Qaida a state one mile from New York City after September 11.”

The US delegation could be seen applauding his assertion.

Meanwhile, today’s death toll in the Gaza Strip included at least eight Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on a tent housing displaced people in central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp and 28 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City.

Israel also attacked the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.