Brasília: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called the ongoing conflict in the Middle East a “genocide,” expressing concerns over the increasing number of children killed in the conflict.
“It’s not a war, it’s a genocide that has killed nearly 2,000 children who have nothing to do with this war, they are victims of this war,” Lula da Silva said as reported by the state-owned news outlet Agencia Brasil Wednesday October 25, 2023. “I don’t know how a human being is capable of war knowing that the result of that war is the death of innocent children,” the Brazilian President said without specifying either Israel or Hamas by name. “What is currently happening in the Middle East is serious, and it's not a question of discussing who is right or who is wrong, who fired the first shot and who fired the second,” he added.
“It’s not a war, it’s a genocide that has killed nearly 2,000 children who have nothing to do with this war, they are victims of this war,” Lula da Silva said as reported by the state-owned news outlet Agencia Brasil Wednesday October 25, 2023.
“I don’t know how a human being is capable of war knowing that the result of that war is the death of innocent children,” the Brazilian President said without specifying either Israel or Hamas by name.
“What is currently happening in the Middle East is serious, and it's not a question of discussing who is right or who is wrong, who fired the first shot and who fired the second,” he added.
Brazil advocates the release of hostages and the creation of a humanitarian corridor to allow aid to be sent to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, he said.
He also said he is trying to help get Brazilians out of Gaza and is in talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on this.
Some 30 Brazilian nationals are in the Gaza Strip awaiting rescue, but an impasse has arisen among authorities over the opening of the border with Egypt.
Brazil had earlier brought in a resolution in the UN Security Council calling for immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. The resolution was however vetoed by the United States.
Meanwhile, death toll in Gaza since October 07, 2023 has gone up to more than 7,000, including nearly 3,000 children, according to Palestinian officials.
On the other hand, the Israeli army said it conducted an overnight ground raid inside Gaza targeting Hamas positions using tanks -- a move widely seen as preparation for the full-scale invasion of Gaza Strip.
The death toll in the occupied West Bank has also gone up to100, according to the local authorities.
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