Israel has declared Brazilian President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
'persona non grata' over his accusations that Israel carried out genocide in Gaza, comparing the Israeli operation in the Strip to the actions of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.
After summoning Brazil's ambassador, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: "We will not forget or forgive. It is a serious anti-Semitic attack. On behalf of myself and the citizens of Israel, tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until the situation recovers."
Hamas, however, said it "appreciated" Lula's statements.
“This statement comes in the context of an accurate description of what our people are exposed to and reveals the extent of the Zionist crime committed under the cover and open support of the United States government led by President (Joe) Biden,” the Islamist group said in a note on Telegram.
Hamas also asked the International Court of Justice to take into consideration Lula's words about the "violations and atrocities" that Palestinians "suffer at the hands of the Israeli army", actions which, it said, "have never been witnessed in the modern history".
In Brazil, meanwhile, opposition deputies have announced that they will present an impeachment request against President Lula after his criticism of Israel's action in the war against Hamas in which he went so far as to compare Netanyahu to Hitler.
From a formal point of view, the request must cite the provision that "committing an act of hostility against a foreign nation, exposing the Republic to the danger of war, or compromising its neutrality".
In addition to supporting the impeachment request, the deputy of the right-wing Liberal Party (PL), Júlia Zanatta, intends to present a request for a motion to repudiate Lula's speech to be voted on in the plenary of the Chamber.
Podemos (centre-right) MP Maurício Marcon said in turn that Lula's speeches are a "pro-terrorism" demonstration and that the president's position is "unacceptable and criminal".
The first secretary of the Brazil-Israel Friendship Group of the Congress, Rosana Valle, wrote on social media that the comparison made by Lula "exceeds the limits against the
Jewish people".
The pressure is such that Lula has tried to remedy it by reiterating his condemnation of the Hamas attack last October.
"President Lula condemns the terrorist acts of Hamas on 7 October. He has done so several times. And he is against a disproportionate reaction and the suffering of women and children in the Gaza Strip", we read in a Planalto note released in the night.
According to Foreign Ministry sources, the Brazilian government will try "not to aggravate" the tension with Tel Aviv, and the head of state should analyze the situation directly with Minister Mauro Vieira.
The harsh controversy with Israel, in fact, comes on the eve of the meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the G20, scheduled for Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 February in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of, among others
, the US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken, and Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov, in the first meeting after the death of Kremlin opponent Alexej Navalny.
Video Gaza, Israel releases a video of Sinwar in a tunnel
Israel warns: 'Hostages free by Ramadan or military operations in Rafah will continue'
Israeli forces will expand military operations in
Rafah
if hostages held by Hamas are not returned by the start of Ramadan, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz said.
"The world and Hamas leaders must know that if our hostages are not home by Ramadan, fighting will continue in the Rafah area," Gantz said yesterday at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.
“We will do this in a coordinated manner, in dialogue with our American and Egyptian partners, to facilitate evacuations and minimize civilian casualties,” Gantz added.
Citing Israeli military sources, the Reuters website reports that Israel plans to continue large-scale military operations in Gaza for another 6 to 8 weeks as it prepares to enter Rafah, the southernmost city of the Strip.
According to estimates by military leaders, in this period of time Hamas' capabilities can be significantly reduced, favoring the transition to a phase of lower intensity characterized by targeted air strikes and special forces operations.
The Israeli army has ordered the closure of numerous roads in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, due to the situation with Hezbollah.
The media reported it and the regional council of the area explained that the closure is in force until further notice.
They restrict entry to the Temple Mount.
Hamas 'violation of freedom of religion'
Israel limits the entry of Arabs to the
Temple Mount
during Ramadan and Hamas speaks of "violation of freedom of worship", inciting Palestinians to mobilize.
At least 70 people died and several others were injured in yesterday's Israeli shelling of the
Gaza Strip
, according to the Wafa news agency.
Damage to a merchant ship off the coast of Yemen.
Today the EU launches the Aspides mission, against Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
has accepted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's request to restrict the entry of Israeli Arabs to the Temple Mount/Mosque Mount complex during Ramadan, despite opposition from the Shin Bet.
Hareetz writes it.
The Israeli prime minister's office called Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to restrict the entry of Israeli Arabs to the Temple Mount/Mosque Mount during Ramadan "balanced" and said it "allows freedom of worship within the limits of security requirements determined by the security authorities".
Hamas
responded immediately
, calling Israel's decision "a violation of freedom of worship" and inviting the Palestinians to "mobilise, march and be present in the al-Aqsa mosque", which is located in the religious complex of Jerusalem.
In a statement quoted by international media, the Islamist movement said that the Jewish State's move "indicates the occupation's intention to intensify its aggression against the al-Aqsa mosque during the month of Ramadan" and therefore appealed to Palestinians living in the "occupied territories", in Jerusalem and in the West Bank "to reject this criminal decision and resist the arrogance of the occupation".
The ruling group in the Gaza Strip also warned that limiting access to the mosque "will not happen without accountability."
A member of the Israeli Knesset, Ahmad Tibi, also called Netanyahu's decision to limit access to the al-Aqsa mosque a "blatant violation of freedom of worship."
In a statement shared on social media, Tibi described Netanyahu as a "prisoner" of "convicted terrorist Ben-Gvir" (Israel's Minister of National Security) and said that "it is time for President Biden to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir himself." Gvir".
Tibi added that "the ban on Muslims praying in mosques during the holy month of Ramadan deserves to be discussed at the United Nations."
The Palestinian news agency Wafa says at least 70 people died and several others were injured in yesterday's Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip.
According to Wafa, the victims are mostly women and children.
The raids particularly hit Nuseirat, Zawaida, Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis and the city of Gaza.
The latest toll provided by the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health speaks of at least 28,985 deaths and 68,883 injured in the Strip since 7 October.
Hamas, 'over 29 thousand deaths since the start of the war in Gaza'
Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 29,092 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during the militants' war with Israel.
A total of 107 people have died in the last 24 hours and 69,028 people have been injured since the war broke out on October 7, it added in a statement.
Hamas also estimates it lost six thousand fighters during the four-month war in Gaza, half of the 12,000 Israel claims to have killed.
An official of the Palestinian militiamen in Qatar said this to Reuters, which reports it on his website.
According to the official, Hamas can continue to fight and is prepared for a long war in Rafah and Gaza.
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