* 77 delegations walk out as Israeli PM brands departing diplomats ‘moral cowards’
Muslim News gathered that the mass walkout drew a strong reaction from Israeli officials, who compiled the names of diplomats who left the chamber or whose seats remained vacant as Netanyahu delivered his address to a largely empty hall.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday was marked by a mass diplomatic walkout, with dozens of delegates leaving the chamber as he took the podium to deliver his address.
The dramatic departure left large sections of the General Assembly hall empty and triggered renewed reactions over Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza and its wider military operations and illegal settlement activities across the region.
The episode prompted a blunt reaction from observers: “The world is actually tired of Netanyahu,” pointing to similar walkouts during Netanyahu’s UN appearances in 2024 and 2025, following the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in 2023.
Muslim News gathered that there are, however, conflicting reports about the number of country delegations that left the hall in protest against Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes related to the Gaza conflict.
Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that Israeli officials counted 77 delegations that were either absent from the hall or left at the beginning of Netanyahu’s remarks.
However, Anadolu Agency, after reviewing footage from the 81st UN General Assembly, reported that nearly 70 countries either walked out or had their seats left vacant.
Reuters independently confirmed that dozens of delegates streamed out as Netanyahu began speaking.
Netanyahu calls departing diplomats ‘moral cowards’
The walkout became one of the defining moments of Netanyahu’s opening minutes at the UN.
As delegates left the chamber, Netanyahu addressed those who remained, saying: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.”
His supporters in the gallery responded by chanting in Hebrew, “The people of Israel live.”
Türkiye, Pakistan, Niger, others join mass exit
Dozens of delegations left the chamber together after Netanyahu approached the podium, with some countries leaving only a single representative or junior diplomat behind while others did not attend the address.
Türkiye, Palestine, Pakistan, Tunisia, Syria, Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Qatar, Lebanon, Malaysia, Indonesia and Kuwait were among the countries whose representatives joined the protest, according to Anadolu.
Delegations from Spain, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Nigeria, Ghana, Libya, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Oman, Niger, Madagascar, Botswana, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and Cabo Verde were also reported to have walked out or remained absent.
Nigeria’s position unclear amid conflicting reports
There were conflicting reports over whether Nigeria joined the mass diplomatic walkout during Netanyahu’s address.
Anadolu, after reviewing footage from the 81st UN General Assembly, included Nigeria among countries whose delegations “also walked out or remained absent” as Netanyahu approached the podium.
However, other reports and available footage did not clearly establish whether Nigeria’s delegation physically left the chamber, making it difficult to conclusively determine its position during the walkout.
The uncertainty comes against the backdrop of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s national address at the 81st UNGA, delivered earlier on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in which Palestine and Gaza were not mentioned.
The omission was notable because Nigeria’s UNGA addresses in 2024 and 2025 had referenced the Palestinian issue.
All efforts by Muslim News to obtain clarification from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on whether Nigeria participated in the walkout, as well as the omission of Palestine from the 2026 national statement, proved abortive as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.
Some western delegations remained
The chamber was not completely deserted. Anadolu reported that representatives of the United States, Germany, Argentina, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Czechia and Greece remained during Netanyahu’s address.
The United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Belgium and Norway also kept representatives in the chamber, alongside the European Union delegation.
China was represented by a single diplomat, while the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also remained.
Other delegations reported as remaining included Australia, Austria, Canada, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Kenya and El Salvador.
Protesting the war crimes, Gaza genocide
The protest came amid continued international criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its policies in the occupied West Bank and its attacks in Lebanon and Syria.
A UN-backed independent commission of inquiry concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding Israel has rejected.
Netanyahu is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
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