Watch: Protester prevents Antony Blinken from giving new details on hostage deal
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the target of a heckler Thursday as he addressed the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that threatened to be delayed as Israel considered a vote on the deal.
Blinken had just thanked "people that I've gotten to know as colleagues" for "asking the tough questions" during his four years in the post.
"Let me simply say how much i appreciate the partnership, the professionalism, the work that we've done," Blinken said, continuing, "Being on the receiving end, sometimes that's not always the most comfortable thing, not the most enjoyable thing, but it is the most necessary thing in on democracy."
The heckler then chimed in, "The reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs. Why did you keep them flowing when we had a deal?"
Blinken said he would be happy to address questions after his address, but the heckler persisted.
"We had a deal. Everyone in this room knows we had a deal, Tony. And you kept the bombs flowing."
Again, Blinken said, "I'm happy to address questions when we get a chance."
"Why did you allow my friends to be massacred? Why did you?" The man shouted.
ALSO READ: Fox News has blood on its hands as Trump twists the knife
"I'm happy to address your questions when we get to questions. Thank you. Thank you," Blinken said over the man.
Someone in the audience asked, "Did you want to finish?" and Blinken answered, "Yeah, I have a statement to make, thank you."
"You helped destroy our religion! You waved the white flag before Netanyahu. You waved the white flag before Israeli fascists. Are you compromised by Israel? Why did you allow the Holocaust of our time to happen? How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide? How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?" the man repeated. "You, too, Matt. You smirked through the whole thing every day! You smirk through your genocide."
The heckler may have been addressing Matt Lee with the Associated Press, CNN reported.
CNN later showed video of security physically removing a man from the room as he screamed, "Why aren't you in the Hague? Why aren't you in the Hague?"
It wasn't clear if there was more than one heckler in the room.