Actor Hannah Einbinder says attention should be on Gaza, not her arrest at Netanyahu protest | CBC News

Actor Hannah Einbinder said public focus should stay on Gaza rather than her detention during a demonstration outside the United Nations as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this week. In a message shared online, Einbinder wrote that people should not confuse publicity with substance, saying "genocide is the headline" and calling for it to stop.

Hundreds of demonstrators assembled near the UN building ahead of Netanyahu's speech, with dozens obstructing roadways and chanting "Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live" and a similar slogan about Iran. The action was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, described as a Jewish activist group that supports Palestinians.

The organizers said more than 400 participants staged a sit-in to demand an end to killing in Gaza and to U.S. military support for Israel, objecting to a platform for leaders they called war criminals and to billions spent on warfare. Canadian actor Elliot Page, who attended the protest, shared Einbinder's message on his own account.

In his UN remarks, Netanyahu again dismissed claims of genocide, saying Israel's campaign in Gaza targets Hamas. He said the military issues evacuation warnings before strikes and has supplied humanitarian help during the war. The article also notes disputes over aid, including Israeli delays or denials, accusations that Hamas diverts supplies, and criticism from relief groups over barring more than 30 foreign non-profits, which Israel linked to security.