Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, accused Israel of killing innocent people without justification in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
This comes as Israel continues to bombard Gaza in its vow to eliminate Hamas after the group’s attack on October 7.
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has exceeded 11,200, including women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli authorities report a death toll of over 1,200 from Hamas attacks.
Brazil’s president stated that Israel’s response to Hamas’s attacks is equally atrocious.
“After the act of terrorism provoked by Hamas, the consequences, the solution of the state of Israel, is as grave as that of Hamas. They are killing innocent people without any criteria,” da Silva said.
The leader of Latin America’s largest country also accused Israel of “dropping bombs where there are children, hospitals, on the pretext that a terrorist is there”.
“This is inexplicable. First you have to save the women and children, then you fight with whomever you want,” da Silva added.
Brazil’s Jewish community representatives, however denounced the president’s remarks as “erroneous,” “unfair,” and “dangerous,” emphasizing that they “put Israel and Hamas on the same level.”