Protesters gather outside the hotel of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City. AFP
Demonstrators gathered in Times Square on Friday and outside Netanyahu’s hotel on Thursday, voicing fierce opposition to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and the ongoing US support for Tel Aviv.
In Times Square, a diverse group of protesters marched towards the UN headquarters on the banks of the East River, carrying signs reading “End All U.S. Aid to Israel,” “Arrest Netanyahu,” and “Stop Starving Gaza Now!”
Chants of “Netanyahu, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!” rang out as organizers announced that several heads of state had walked out of the General Assembly chamber during Netanyahu’s speech, a moment that drew loud cheers, according to the New York Times.
Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity in the Gaza war, began his speech by boasting about Israel’s aggression against Palestinians, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, claiming these actions were his country’s contribution to world peace.
The Israeli premier took a special, secure air route from Tel Aviv to New York to avoid being intercepted and arrested by states willing to enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant against him. Addressing the Israeli delegation and the few supporters in the hall, Netanyahu framed Israel’s war as a fight against the forces of “evil.”
Protesters also condemned continued American military and diplomatic backing for Israel's war on Gaza.
David Robinson, 64, from Brooklyn, expressed his frustration: “Trump administration officials don’t care about the death of brown people who are Palestinians and they’re not considered human beings. We are watching this going on. It breaks my heart. And I don’t know why everybody isn’t here,” he told the New York Times.
Outside Netanyahu’s hotel, a smaller group held an overnight protest, banging pots and drums to deny him rest. Andrea Mirez, a young protester, told AFP: “War criminals don’t deserve any peace of mind. They don’t deserve any sleep.”
Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayoral candidate and outspoken critic of Israeli occupation, has emerged as a leading voice in support of Palestinian rights.
Mamdani recently pledged that if elected mayor of New York, he would arrest Netanyahu should the Israeli leader visit the city.
In January 2024, three months after the Gaza war began, the International Court of Justice, the highest UN court, ruled that Israeli practices during the war amounted to acts of genocide. Later in 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity.
Global outrage has intensified in recent months as millions watched in horror while famine in Gaza, officially declared by the UN in August 2025, claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including tens of children, trapped in the besieged strip.
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