SAO PAULO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday accused Israel of committing "genocide" against Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not being waged between two armies, but rather Israel's military is committing "genocide" against civilians in the Gaza Strip, Lula said during a press conference in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

What Israel's military is doing is in the same way that Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and other European countries exterminated their Jewish populations in the first half of the 20th century, Lula said.

"What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it existed when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," said the Brazilian president.

He also criticized the controversial decision by developed nations to stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

"When I see the rich world announce that it will stop contributing to the humanitarian issue of the Palestinians, I wonder how much political awareness these people have?" he asked.

As part of his African tour, the Brazilian president first made an official visit to Egypt, where he participated in a meeting of the Arab League, before attending the African Union Summit in Ethiopia.

Photo from Reuters