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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has once again denounced what he calls the “genocide” unfolding in Gaza, after an Israeli airstrike killed nine of the ten children of Palestinian doctor Alaa Al-Najjar. The Israeli attack, which took place on Saturday also critically injured Al-Najjar’s husband and sole surviving child, both currently hospitalised.
“This is yet another shameful and cowardly act,” Lula said in a statement released by the presidency. “What we are seeing in Gaza is no longer about self-defence, no longer about fighting terrorism or rescuing hostages. What we are seeing is revenge.”
The president’s remarks come amid intensifying global scrutiny of Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, where airstrikes have devastated densely populated civilian areas. According to Lula, the scale and nature of the violence represent a deliberate strategy to expel Palestinians from their territory by rendering it uninhabitable.
“This episode symbolises, in all its dimensions, the cruelty and inhumanity of a conflict that pits a heavily armed state against a defenceless civilian population,” Lula said. “Women and children are paying the price.”
As the death toll in Gaza continues to rise and entire families like Dr Alaa Al-Najjar’s are wiped out, calls for international intervention have grown louder. Human rights organisations and several world leaders have accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law.
In Brazil, public sentiment appears to align with Lula’s firm rhetoric. Massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place in major cities, and prominent voices in civil society have echoed the president’s demands for an end to what he calls “a campaign of extermination.”
“The world cannot remain silent,” Lula said in closing. “We must stand with the innocent, with the children, with the people of Palestine who continue to resist the erasure of their homeland.”
Earlier this month, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again denounced the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, reaffirming his earlier comparison of the offensive to the Holocaust. “What is happening is a genocide,” Lula stated, doubling down on his criticism despite backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Responding to accusations of antisemitism by CONIB (the Israeli Confederation of Brazil), Lula clarified: “I am talking about the Israeli army against the Palestinian people, not about ‘Jews and Palestinians’, as some fascists say.” His remarks sought to distinguish between criticism of a state’s military actions and broader religious or ethnic generalisations.
A morte de 9 dos 10 filhos da médica palestina, Alaa Al-Najjar, como consequência de ataque aéreo do governo de Israel na faixa de Gaza no sábado (24) é mais um ato vergonhoso e covarde. Seu único filho sobrevivente e seu marido, também médico, seguem internados em estado…
— Lula (@LulaOficial) May 25, 2025
The latest statements of Lula are a part of a broader trend in Lula’s foreign policy, which has increasingly positioned Brazil as a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza. In early 2025, Lula criticized a proposal reportedly backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, which suggested relocating Palestinians out of Gaza and transferring administrative control to foreign authorities. Lula dismissed the idea as “incomprehensible.”
“Where would Palestinians live?” he asked in a radio interview. “This is something incomprehensible to any human being. Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza.”
Lula’s stance underscores Brazil’s positioning as a leader among Global South nations demanding accountability and justice in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In February 2024, during an African Union summit, Lula drew international attention by comparing Israel’s campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust.
“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” he said at the time. “It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.”
The comments triggered a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel. The Israeli government declared Lula persona non grata and recalled its ambassador from Brasília. In turn, Brazil withdrew its envoy from Tel Aviv for consultations.
Despite the fallout, Lula has not backed down. His administration has increased funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and has reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to Gaza.
READ: Hamas slams Israel for ‘horrific massacre’ of Palestinian physician’s 9 children in Khan Younis
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