While entire delegations staged a walkout inside the United Nations in protest against the General Assembly being addressed by Benjamin Netanyahu—for whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024—thousands protested and marched outside the facility. Protesters and marchers blocked traffic, forcing official vehicles and their police escorts to divert to alternate routes. About 250 activists with Jewish Voice for Peace staged a sit-in at the intersection of 39th Street and First Avenue, closing both streets for over an hour, according to the New York Times. Over 1,000 activists from the Palestinian Youth Movement and other organizations led a march through Manhattan during rush hour where their chants echoed off the buildings, “Netanyahu, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!” Later several thousand people marched from Bryant Park towards the UN Headquarters wearing keffiyehs, carrying signs, banners, and Palestinian flags. This march included a brass band. There was also at least one kite flying in protest againstIsraeli threats of targeting children flying kites. People wore shirts with slogans such as “Let Gaza Live,” or “Fund People not Bombs.” While the protests were peaceful, over 100 people were arrested including several local political figures and celebrities.

On Wednesday there were also protests at JFK Airport against the transportation there by commercial flights of weapons and explosive material for the Israeli military, according to The Guardian.