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." Earlier on Monday, 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."
"We will never forgive and never forget- in my name and in the name of the citizens of Israel, I notified President Lula that he is unwelcome in Israel until he formally apologizes and retracts his statement," Katz said on X later in the day.
The Brazilian presidency chief adviser, Celso Amorim, called Israel's decision to declare Lula persona non grata "absurd," saying that "it only reinforces the isolation of Israel."
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.