Colombian President Gustavo Petro backs Lula da Silva's Holocaust comparison in Gaza, sparking controversy with Israel

In a post shared on platform X, Petro criticized Israel. He expressed "full solidarity" with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"Genocide is occurring in Gaza. Thousands of children, women, and the elderly are being gruesomely murdered. Lula spoke the truth. We either stand with the truth or let barbarity destroy us," Petro wrote.

On Sunday, at the African Union summit in Ethiopia, Lula compared the situation in the Gaza Strip to the Holocaust. He stated, "What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people is unlike any other historical event. It reminds me of when Hitler decided to exterminate Jews."

This statement elicited a strong response from Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday that the Brazilian president will be persona non grata in Israel until a retraction is made.

While Lula did condemn Hamas for its October 7 attack that took 1200 lives and 253 hostages in Israel, he criticized Israel's retaliatory military campaign. According to the health department run by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the campaign led to over 29,000 Palestinian deaths.

Israel's estimate points to around 12,000 of these fatalities being armed Palestinian terrorists. Hamas acknowledges a loss of approximately 6,000 fighters.