Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for New York early Thursday morning for a trip that will see him address the UN General Assembly.

Netanyahu said that he will speak "our truth - the citizens of Israel, the truth of the IDF soldiers, of our country."

More than 150 United Nations member nations now recognize Palestinian statehood. Most had done so decades ago.

The United States and other Western powers have held off, saying Palestinian statehood should be part of a final agreement resolving the decades-old Middle East conflict.

Netanyahu said he will then meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he will discuss "the great opportunities that our victories have brought".

Trump's Mideast envoy expressed optimism over a new plan for ending the war, without saying what it entails or if Israel or Hamas have accepted it.