Netanyahu posts Lego video denying Israel is committing genocide in Gaza on October 7 anniversary

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shared a Lego-style video depicting the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, using the animated clip to reject accusations that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory. The one-minute-19-second video was posted on the official X account of the Prime Minister of Israel late Tuesday (Oct 06), a day before Israel marked the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack.

The video recreates the Hamas assault using Lego figures, showing militants abducting Israeli civilians before shifting to Israel's military operation in Gaza. It depicts Israeli soldiers entering tunnels through what appears to be a kitchen and later presents a classroom-style discussion about the legal definition of genocide.

Its caption reads, "Terrorism is Not a Game. Remember October 7th."

What does Netanyahu's Lego video say?

The clip opens with protesters, apparently in London, holding a sign that reads, "Israel commits genocide." It then asks: "Do the facts support this accusation?"

The narrator says Hamas invaded Israeli communities on October 7, "massacred civilians and took hostages", while highlighting statements by a senior Hamas leader about repeating the attack.

The video says Israel's stated objective in Gaza is to prevent Hamas from being able to carry out another attack on Israeli communities. It also accuses Hamas of building military infrastructure inside civilian neighbourhoods and beneath streets, portraying Israeli soldiers as fighting through those areas while suffering casualties.

The clip then turns to the meaning of genocide. A teacher tells students that genocide requires a specific intent to annihilate a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.

The video also highlights Israel's claims that it issued millions of evacuation warnings, facilitated deliveries of food, water and medicine, and agreed to pauses that allowed a polio vaccination campaign to reach nearly 560,000 children in Gaza.

It concludes by arguing that the war can end only if Hamas disarms.

Genocide allegations against Israel

Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide. The issue remains the subject of international legal and political dispute.

A UN independent commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, while organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also accused Israel of genocidal acts.

Proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention remain before the International Court of Justice.

There's also a separate case at the International Criminal Court involving Netanyahu. In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe he was responsible for the alleged war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population, as well as the alleged crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.

Netanyahu has rejected the allegations and described the ICC's action as antisemitic.

October 7 attack and Gaza war

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage, according to current reporting.

Israel responded with a major military campaign in Gaza. Gaza health authorities now report more than 74,000 Palestinian deaths since the start of the war. Much of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged, while the majority of the territory's population has experienced repeated displacement and severe humanitarian hardship.