Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told his country’s Senate Thursday that Israel’s “blockade of humanitarian aid in the current context of famine and lack of medical supplies in Gaza is a violation of international law.”
The administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to systematically hinder the entry of trucks with humanitarian aid at the borders with Gaza,” Vieira denounced.
Vieira appeared before the Senate at the invitation of Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Renan Calheiros to speak about the relationship between Brazil and Israel, which has been shaken following statements by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that Tel Aviv’s actions against the Palestinian people amounted to genocide. Relations worsened after Lula liked Israel’s deployment in Gaza to Hitler’s Germany in World War II.
More than 15,000 tons of international humanitarian aid supplies are awaiting approval from the Israeli government to enter Gaza, more than half of which is food, Brazil’s top diplomat explained.
“What we can do, and what we will continue to do in our current line, is to denounce Israel’s unilateral decision to repeatedly block the entry of humanitarian aid and to continue working with neighboring countries and international organizations in favor of opening humanitarian corridors,” Vieira insisted.
The minister also confirmed that part of the humanitarian aid sent by Brazil to Gaza, consisting of 30 water purifiers, was withheld by Israeli forces, with no reasons given, although Vieira hinted it could be because the “purifiers are solar-powered and have voltaic kits.”
Lula said during an appearance in Ethiopia that Israel’s retaliation following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas resembled Nazi Germany practices since over 31,000 people have been killed in Gaza, 70% of whom were women and children.
“It is in this context of deep indignation that President Lula’s statements are set. They are words that express the sincerity of someone who seeks to preserve and value the supreme value of human life,” Vieira insisted.
