A masked activist hammered, toppled, and threw red paint at a wax statue of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Mexico on Wednesday, with Palestinians calling the act a bold form of protest.
The man, who has not yet been identified, destroyed the statue in Mexico City’s Wax Museum, before telling the camera: "Long live Palestine, long live Sudan, long live Yemen and long live Puerto Rico".
The smashing of the statue comes as Israel continues its over 14-month-long war on Gaza, decimating the enclave’s infrastructure and killing over 45,885 Palestinians.
Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, has come under scathing criticism from rights groups who have determined that his military is committing genocide in the besieged enclave.
Online, many praised the destruction of the statue, accusing Netanyahu of giving the green light for atrocities in Gaza and plunging the Palestinian enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis.
Others criticised the museum for even hosting a statue of a leader who has been accused of imposing collective punishment on Palestinians and refusing to agree on a ceasefire deal.
"Why does he even have a statue there?" one person asked while another said: "Salute for this man".
The video surfaced as Gaza’s ministry issued an urgent plea for international aid as fuel runs out in hospitals in the enclave, directly putting patients' lives at risk.
Along with healthcare workers being targeted and detained, Israel has stepped up attacks on Gaza's medical facilities, while 28 people were killed in strikes on Wednesday morning.
A harsh winter for the enclave’s mostly displaced population has compounded the misery of Gazans, with at least six babies dying from hypothermia in recent weeks.
Netanyahu has also come under fire from the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza since 7 October 2023, accusing him of putting his political career ahead of trying to bring the hostages home.
Many Israelis have protested against the leader, who is charged with fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three different cases.
He has been accused of accepting huge sums of money's worth of cigars and alcohol from a wealthy Hollywood producer in exchange for helping him with personal and business interests.
His wife, Sara Netanyahu, has also been marred in controversy, with an Israeli attorney general ordering an investigation into her harassing political opponents and witnesses in her husband’s corruption trial.
In 2019, she admitted to criminal wrongdoing over misuse of state funds to order $99,300 worth of catered meals.