Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the inauguration of the Gentileza transportation terminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb 23, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians is “genocide”, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has stressed, defying Israel’s rejection and condemnation of him and stating not to sacrifice “dignity for falsehood”.

After he was declared “persona non grata” by the Israeli government for critical comments he made about Israel’s conduct in Gaza, Lula remained outspoken over the weekend, condemning the Israeli military onslaught that has claimed nearly 30,000 lives, mostly innocent civilians, and wounded about 70,000 others in just over four months.

"What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people is not war, it is genocide,” Lula said on Feb 23 during an event in Rio de Janeiro. 

"They are killing women and children. There are thousands of children dead and thousands missing,” Lula was cited by a United States-based website Common Dreams by Jon Queally.

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“It is not soldiers who are dying, but women and children who are dying inside the hospitals," the president told the audience.

Lula continued: "If this isn't genocide, I don't know what is."

On Feb 24, Lula wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, that he will not give up his “dignity for falsehood” – an apparent reference to calls for him to retract his previous comments in Ethiopia

Israel has vehemently rejected the genocide claims, saying its war is targeting the “Palestinian terror group Hamas, not the Palestinian people, following its Oct 7 massacre across southern Israel”, said an online report by Jerusalem-based The Times of Israel. It has held Hamas largely responsible for civilian deaths.

In his remarks, Lula criticized the failure of the United Nations Security Council to intervene in a meaningful way to stop the carnage in Gaza. On Feb 19, the United States once again used its veto power to reject a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The UNSC has succeeded in nothing for peace, he added, while decrying the amount of "hypocrisy in the world today" when it came to political leadership.

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On Feb 24, Lula wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, that he will not give up his “dignity for falsehood” – an apparent reference to calls for him to retract his previous comments in Ethiopia, Common Dreams reported.

“What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide,” he charged, reiterating similar comments from last week. “Children and women are being murdered.”

During a press conference in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Feb 19, Lula compared Israel’s operations in Gaza to the Holocaust “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews”.

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"What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it existed when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," the Brazilian president told the media.

He also criticized the controversial decision by developed nations to stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Israel responded with outrage to Lula’s comments, calling them “shameful”, and declared the veteran leader a “persona non grata”. Jerusalem summoned Brazil’s ambassador for a rebuke and demanded an apology. In response, Brazil recalled its ambassador for talks, and Israeli Ambassador Daniel Zonshine was himself summoned for a reprimand.