Maggots and worms released at Benjamin Netanyahu’s Washington hotel amid Gaza war protests

Video posted on social media shows insects crawling inside Watergate Hotel in Washington DC

Anti-war protesters in Washington DC appear to have released maggots and worms in and around the hotel where Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is staying during his US visit.

The Palestinian Youth Movement, a grassroots advocacy group, shared an Instagram video showing the worms, and suggested it was done in protest against Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed over 39,000 Palestinians according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The video, which showed insects crawling inside the Watergate Hotel where Mr Netanyahu is staying, was reportedly sent anonymously to the Palestinian Youth Movement, which put it up on social media.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for releasing the worms at the hotel, but the incident came as protesters staged demonstrations outside the hotel and near the Capitol during Mr Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

“Palestine protesters manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorise our people,” the Instagram post said.

Their video showed thousands of “mealworms and maggots” on the hotel’s banquet tables and crickets on multiple floors.

The post claimed that “fire alarms were triggered for over 30 minutes on multiple floors”.

“We are aware of the social media video circulating on multiple platforms involving the Watergate Hotel and the unfortunate incident that occurred at the property yesterday,” the hotel said in a statement. “We took the necessary steps to ensure the property has been sanitised and is now operating as normal. We are cooperating fully with authorities, who are handling the situation.”

Thousands of Palestinians and anti-war protesters descended on Washington DC as Mr Netanyahu addressed Congress on Wednesday. Some clashed with police.

“The crowd failed to obey our order to move back from our police line,’’ Capitol police said in a post on X. “We are deploying pepper spray towards anyone trying to break the law and cross that line.’’

At the Union Station Plaza, US flags were replaced with Palestinian ones and an American flag was burned.

Israel has vowed not to stop its war on Gaza until it has eradicated Hamas, which carried out an attack on southern Israel on 7 October last year that killed almost 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Its conduct in the war has been widely condemned by the international community, with many countries calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Mr Netanyahu defended the war during his speech to Congress, calling it “a clash between barbarism and civilization” and saying the 7 October attack was “like twenty 9/11’s in one day”. Dozens of Democrats boycotted the address, and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian-American congresswoman, held up a sign that said “War Criminal” during much of Netanyahu’s speech.