Brazilian President Lula da Silva has joined the chorus of left-wing leaders denouncing Israel's military campaign in Gaza as a form of Nazi-inspired genocide. 

Speaking with reporters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis-Addaba, the 78-year-old Brazilian socialist argued that the Israeli military's campaign against Hamas "isn't a war, it's a genocide".

He declared:

It's not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It's a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.[...] 

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.

Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, "What is happening in the Gaza strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments"

"In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews"

"It is very funny, very funny, when I see the rich world announce it is… pic.twitter.com/B8QVwu3k5Z

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) February 18, 2024

Such remarks were immediately condemned by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wrote on the X platform:

The words of the president of Brazil are shameful and serious. This is about trivializing the Holocaust and trying to harm the Jewish people and Israel's right to defend itself.

Comparing Israel to the Nazi Holocaust and Hitler is crossing a red line. Israel fights for its defense and securing its future until complete victory and it does so while upholding international law. I decided with Foreign Minister Israel Katz to summon the Brazilian ambassador to Israel for a stern conversation immediately.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also weighed in, describing the comments as "outrageous and abhorrent," and decrying the fracturing relationship between the two nations. 

He wrote: 

Accusing Israel of perpetrating a Holocaust is outrageous and abhorrent. Brazil has stood with Israel for years. President Lula supports a genocidal terrorist organization - Hamas, and in doing so brings great shame to his people, and violates the values of the free world.

Accusing Israel of perpetrating a Holocaust is outrageous and abhorrent.

Brazil has stood with Israel for years. President Lula supports a genocidal terrorist organization - Hamas, and in doing so brings great shame to his people, and violates the values of the free world.

— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) February 18, 2024

Brazil is far from the only nation that has taken a virulently anti-Israeli stance since it began its military campaign against Hamas following the October 7th attacks in Oct. 2023. 

One of their most prominent critics has been South Africa, which has gone so far as to bring a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

Although such cases typically take years to bring a conclusive judgment, the court has ordered Israel to "take all measures within its power" to prevent collateral damage against civilians as the Israeli Defense Forces attempt to root out Hamas militants from across the Gaza Strip. 

PRESS RELEASE: the #ICJ issues its decision on South Africa’s request for additional provisional measures in the case of Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (#SouthAfrica v. #Israel) https://t.co/dh9olqXtD9 pic.twitter.com/KLIMOD69uo

— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) February 16, 2024

Various countries have indicated their support for South Africa's case, including the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), a 57-member bloc, which includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and Morocco, as well as Malaysia, Turkey, Bolivia, and Colombia.