Brazil president withdraws his country's ambassador to Israel after criticising the war in Gaza
Rio De Janeiro, May 29: Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva withdrew his ambassador to Israel on Wednesday after months of tensions between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
The move was announced in Brazil's official gazette. There was no immediate response from Israel.
Lula has been a frequent critic of Israel's offensive in Gaza, which he compared to the Holocaust earlier this year. That led Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz to summon the Brazilian ambassador to the national Holocaust museum in Jerusalem for a public reprimand.
At the time, Lula called Brazil's Ambassador Frederico Meyer home. Wednesday's action represented an escalation — a diplomatic downgrade, with the Brazilian Embassy in Israel still there but without an ambassador in the post.
According to a person at Brazil's foreign ministry, the official removal comes was in response to Meyer's humiliation by Israel's top diplomat. The person, who has knowledge of the situation, spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak publicly.
Meyer has been transferred to Geneva and will join Brazil's permanent mission to the United Nations and other international organizations.
The latest war in Gaza, now in its eighth month, began when the Palestinian Hamas group burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on October 7, killing some 1,200 civilians and taking around 250 hostage.
Israel's offensive in response to that attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Israel says it has killed 13,000 Hamas group members.
In February, Brazil's Lula said that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasn't been seen in any other moment in history. Actually, it did when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israel says its war in Gaza is a defensive action triggered by Hamas' unprecedented assault and rejects any comparisons of its offensive to the Holocaust.
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Christmas decorations vandalised by VHP activists at school in Nalbari; Tension in area
Nalbari: Tension prevailed in the Panigaon area of Nalbari district on December 24 after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal allegedly entered the premises of St Mary’s School and vandalised materials prepared for Christmas celebrations.
According to local sources, activists of the VHP and Bajrang Dal entered the school campus ahead of Christmas and raised slogans inside the premises. It is alleged that Christmas-related decorations and materials kept within the school compound were damaged and set on fire.
Eyewitnesses said that members of the Bajrang Dal were the first to enter the campus, during which they allegedly raised slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “Jai Hindu Rashtra,” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” and burnt items prepared for Christmas celebrations. The incident created panic among local residents and led to concerns over law and order in the area. No injuries have been reported so far.
The incident comes amid reports of similar acts in Nalbari town in recent days, where Christmas decorations displayed at several commercial establishments were allegedly set on fire.
Reacting to the incident, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair said on social media that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists entered St Mary’s School on Christmas Eve, raised slogans and destroyed Christmas decorations. His post drew attention to the incident and sparked wider discussion online.
Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident. Further details are awaited.
On Christmas Eve, Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal goons entered St. Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari, chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hindu Rashtra.” They destroyed and set fire to all Christmas decorations prepared at the school. pic.twitter.com/LQHV7FWUvz
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 24, 2025
