In a fiery statement made during an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Israel of perpetrating “genocide” against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler’s atrocities against Jews.
Lula’s remarks, among the most forceful yet on the conflict, labeled the situation in Gaza as not merely a war but a systematic campaign of extermination. He emphasized the asymmetry of the conflict, characterizing it as an onslaught by a heavily armed military against vulnerable civilians, particularly women and children.
“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula declared to reporters. “It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.”
The Brazilian leader drew parallels to the Holocaust, stating, “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Lula, known as a prominent advocate for the global South, further criticized Western nations for their recent decisions to halt aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He pledged Brazil’s increased support for the agency and urged other countries to follow suit.
In addition to his condemnation of Israeli actions, Lula reiterated his call for a two-state solution, emphasizing the need for Palestine to be “definitively recognized as a full and sovereign state.”
Lula’s impassioned speech has ignited international debate, highlighting the ongoing tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and prompting renewed calls for diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
