Five people have been arrested and police used pepper spray on protesters on the streets of Washington DC
Large numbers of people gathered to protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to US lawmakers today
Netanyahu blasted the demonstrators, calling them "Iran's useful idiots"
Speaking to the US Congress, he said America and Israel "must stand together" and that "our enemies are your enemies"
He recalled the Hamas attacks of 7 October - when 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage - calling it a day that "will live in infamy"
Some Democratic Party lawmakers have made clear their opposition to Netanyahu's address and did not attend the session
The PM's speech comes nine months into Israel's campaign in Gaza. More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas run health ministry
Image source, EPADuring Netanyahu's speech, Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib was seen holding a placard in the air.
On one side the sign read "guilty of genocide" and on the other side it said "war criminal".
Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American member of Congress, was also wearing a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf around her neck.
Netanyahu has stopped speaking and is now shaking hands with various US lawmakers.
Stick with us, we still have a few more lines from his speech to revisit, and there will be plenty of analysis and updates to come.
Netanyahu continues to praise Trump and says he was "relieved when he emerged safe and sound from the dastardly" assassination attempt against him.
He adds there is "no room for political violence" in democracies.
The prime minister then thanks Trump for measures he took to support Israel during his presidency, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The status of both Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are disputed under international law.
"I know that America has our back," says Netanyahu. "And I thank you for it," he adds.
He says the US has provided Israel with "generous military assistance" for decades. And Israel has provided the US with critical intel that "saved many lives", he says.
"Fast-tracking" US military aid could "dramatically expedite" an end to the war in Gaza and help prevent a broader Middle East war, he adds.
He quotes Winston Churchill's appeal to Americans during WWII: "Give us the tools and we'll finish the job."
Netanyahu says he, too, appeals to America today: "Give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster," he says.
Netanyahu now talks about his post-war vision for the broader Middle East, saying the US and Israel can forge an alliance.
He invites other countries to join.
"We should call it the Abraham alliance," he tells lawmakers.
He also praises former president Donald Trump for brokering the Abraham Accords.
"The day after we defeat Hamas, a new Gaza will emerge," says Netanyahu.
He calls for "a demilitarised and deradicalised," Gaza Strip, which he says should be run by a "civilian administration".
"But for the foreseeable future we must retain overriding security control... to ensure that Gaza never again is a threat to Israel," he says.
He adds that future rulers of Gaza should not seek to destroy Israel.
"That's not too much to ask," he says, adding "that we have a right to demand and to receive."
He adds that Israel does not intend to "resettle Gaza" in a reference to the Jewish settlements that were unilaterally dismantled by Israel in 2005.
Image source, Getty ImagesSmoke seen rising after an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon on Wednesday
Netanyahu tells the US lawmakers that "victory is in sight".
"Israel's defeat of Hamas will be a powerful blow to Iran's axis of terror," he continues.
He adds that Hezbollah, which operates in southern Lebanon and has been launching attacks nearly daily on Israel in the past nine months, is another member of that same Iranian "axis".
"Israel will do whatever we must do to return order to our northern border, and to return our people safely to our homes," he continues, threatening to crush Hezbollah.
Netanyahu returns to the topic Iran, saying its stated aim is to impose "radical Islam on the world".
He says Israel and the US must stand in its way and reminds Congress that Iranian proxy forces have attacked American targets.
Netanyahu says Iran believes that "to truly challenge America it must first conquer the Middle East".
He adds: "But in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran's way, is one proud pro-American democracy - my country, the state of Israel."
Netanyahu says that when Israel fights Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthis, it is really fighting "murderous" Iran.
He has focused much of his speech on Iran.
Continuing, he tells lawmakers if they remember one thing from this speech, let it be this: "Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory."
Barbara Plett Usher
BBC News, reporting from Tel Aviv
Image source, Getty ImagesBenjamin Netanyahu’s speech is being projected on a screen in central Tel Aviv, but without the audio.
There's a Hebrew translation of his remarks shown as subtitles, but those gathered here are instead listening to the family members of hostages.
As Congress was giving the Israeli prime minister a standing ovation, the granddaughters of a 76-year-old man who died in captivity, Alex Dancyg, were screaming out in anguish.
“My grandfather could still be alive with us, he was waiting for someone to come and save him He was waiting, he was waiting for you to seal the deal!” Talya Dancyg cried.
“Do you realise that you are becoming an accomplice to murder?” shouted Nissan Kalderon, brother of hostage Ofer Kalderon.
“You are killing our families, give up your political ambitions.”
In between their appeals, Zohar Avigdory, whose niece and mother-in-law were released in a November hostage deal, says all he’s heard so far is “empty words, nothing like any of the brave words that we’ve heard from the families.”
“Leadership is tested in these moments,” said Noam Peri, daughter of deceased hostage Chaim Peri.
“The window is closing. You cannot save my dad but you have to restore your contract with the people. Go for a deal, bring our dead to bury. Don’t wait don’t hesitate, sign the deal.”
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Israeli PM now mentions the food aid he says his country is delivering into Gaza, which he claims would give each person 3,000 calories.
But, he claims, Gaza's residents are not getting food because "Hamas steals it".
For context: Last month, a UN-backed assessment said almost half a million Palestinians across Gaza were still facing “catastrophic levels” of hunger and that a “high risk” of famine would persist as long as the Israel-Hamas war continued and humanitarian access was restricted.
UN officials have blamed the situation on Israeli military restrictions on aid deliveries, the ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of law and order.
Five people have just been arrested inside the Capitol building for attempting to disrupt the Netanyahu address, according to police.
US Capitol Police said in a statement on social media: "Five people in the House Gallery just disrupted the Address during the Joint Meeting.
"All of them were immediately removed from the Gallery and arrested.
"Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is against the law."
A short while earlier some boos could be heard on the television broadcast during the Israeli prime minister's speech.
Netanyahu moves on to criticising university bosses who failed to condemn antisemitism on campuses around the US, referring to them as "muddled academics".
He references the presidents of Penn University, MIT - his alma mater - and Harvard who told a Congressional hearing that calling for the genocide of Jews only violated the code of conduct at their schools depending on the "context".
Those comments lead to widespread condemnations and resignations.
He now mentions the group of frat brothers at the University of North Carolina, who Netanyahu says "protected the American flag" from pro-Palestinian protestors.
This incident happened earlier this year during the college campus protests that spread across the US.
Congress starts chanting U-S-A over and again at their mention.
These same students were at the Republican National Convention last week, where they received a standing ovation from the Republican delegates.
Defeating our enemies requires "both courage and clarity", Netanyahu says.
He claims many anti-Israel protesters "choose to stand with evil".
"They should be ashamed of themselves," he adds. There's large applause in the chamber to this, and House Speaker Mike Johnson is seen standing up and clapping.
He tells protesters they have "become Iran's useful idiots".
As a reminder, thousands of people are gathered right now in Washington DC as Netanyahu speaks. Many are protesting against his visit.
And as we mentioned earlier, pepper spray has been reportedly used on some of those protesters.
Image source, Getty ImagesSo far the speech has been punctuated by applause and standing ovations for the hostages, their families and Israeli soldiers present in the chamber.
There are loud cheers as Netanyahu says Israeli soldiers are "unbowed, undaunted and unafraid" and have "risen like lions".
Netanyahu notes Israel's origins are in the aftermath of the Nazi genocide that took place during the Holocaust that claimed the lives of six million Jews.
"Because of the birth of Israel... the Jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of our enemies," he says.
"For Israel, never again must never be an empty promise," he says, evoking a phrase created after World War 2.
"After 7 October, never again is now," he continues.
Another person attending, who Netanyahu points to, is an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, also receives a standing ovation.
Netanyahu says when he saw the attacks of 7 October take place, the soldier ran eight miles to the front lines to defend Israel.
Next to him is another soldier, a Muslim, who Netanyahu hails for his "tremendous bravery".
He points to several others, who in their turn receive applause.
"These are the soldiers of Israel," Netanyahu declares to loud cheers from members of Congress.
Continuing to address the families of hostages, Netanyahu says he "will not rest until all their loved ones are home".
He says he is actively engaged in "intensive efforts" to secure their release.
He thanks President Biden for his "tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages".
Continuing, Netanyahu introduces the family member of one of the Israeli hostages, who is sitting in the chamber with his wife Sara.
Noa Argamani, who was taken hostage by Hamas and freed by Israeli forces in an operation in June, stands up and the chamber applauds her.
"We're so thrilled to have you with us today," the Israeli PM adds.
He introduces the families of other hostages, also in the room.