Israel Kills Children and Women as Preferred Victims: Lula

On Monday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva accused the Israeli government of killing innocent civilians "without any criteria" in the Gaza Strip.

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While Lula condemned the actions that Hamas took against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, he emphasized that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response has been "just as serious" given that the Israeli bombings have left over 11,100 Palestinians killed so far.

"I had never heard of news about children as preferential victims of a war. They throw bombs where there are children and where there are hospitals with the pretext that a terrorist is there," Lula said as Israel is militarily surrounding one of the main medical centers in Gaza.

In the fifth week of Israeli attacks on Gaza, the Palestinian health authorities updated the death toll to 11,180 people, including 4,609 children and 3,100 women.

Previously, UN agencies reported that 1.5 million Gazans have been forced to abandon their homes since October 7, when the Israeli forces began their offensive against the Palestinians.

On Sunday, 32 Brazilians and their families were able to leave Gaza on a military plane heading to Cairo. This happened after weeks of negotiations with Egypt and Israel, Lula confirmed, adding that the evacuation was achieved with "a lot of sacrifice." 

The Brazilian president will receive his compatriots on Monday night in Brazilia, where the evacuees will receive psychological and medical support.

Lula promised to repatriate all those Brazilians who wish to voluntarily leave Israel and Palestine. Since Oct. 7, his administration has achieved the repatriation of 1,477 people.