Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says Israel is committing “genocide” against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, saying it is the same as the Holocaust.

“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula told reporters in Addis Ababa where he was attending an African Union summit, according to The Times of Israel.

“It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children,” added the veteran leftist.

“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history,” he added.