Brazil president recalls Israel ambassador amid Gaza comments controversy

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recalled his ambassador to Israel back for discussions, according to a source from Brazil's foreign ministry, Reuters reported on Monday.

Reuters also reported that Brazil will be summoning the Israeli ambassador to provide clarifications.

Following Lula's previous remarks comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, Israel's foreign minister had previously called in the Brazilian ambassador for a formal rebuke.

"What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments," said Brazil's president, known as Lula, before offering up a comparison.

"In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews," said Lula last weekend during an African Union summit in Addis Abab.