On Sunday, Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa that Israel's military intervention in the Gaza Strip "is not a war, it is a genocide" and compared it to the Holocaust "when Hitler decided to kill the Jews." On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned Brazilian Ambassador Federico Mayer to the Yad Vashem memorial, which is dedicated to victims of the Holocaust, and reprimanded him over the Brazilian president's remarks, calling them "an extremely serious antisemitic attack." Later, Katz declared Lula persona non grata over his statement.
At the same time, over 60 Brazilian lawmakers decided to file a petition to impeach Lula over his statement on the Gaza conflict, Brazilian lawmaker Carla Zambelli said on X.
She added that impeachment can be declared for committing a hostile act against a foreign state, exposing the country to the danger of war, or violating the neutrality of another country.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
At least 29,000 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.