New York University said it is withholding the diploma of a graduating student who used his commencement speech to denounce Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza and the US’ “complicity in this genocide”, reported Anadolu Agency.

Logan Rozos, who spoke at NYU's Gallatin School graduation on Wednesday, received cheers and a standing ovation for condemning Israel's deadly assault on Palestinians and US support.

“I want to say that the genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for by our tax dollars, and has been live-streamed to our phones for the past 18 months,” he said.

“I want to say that I condemn this genocide and complicity in this genocide,” he added.

NYU spokesman John Beckman denounced the speech, adding that the university is reviewing Rozos’s diploma while it pursues disciplinary actions.

“He lied about the speech he was going to deliver and violated the commitment he made to comply with our rules,” he said in a statement released on Wednesday.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children.