Brazil's President Lula Denounces Gaza 'Genocide' at BRICS Summit

At the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian President Lula da Silva condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide,” citing the killing of over 57,000 mostly civilians and the use of hunger as a weapon. While acknowledging Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Lula emphasized that nothing justified Israel's response. BRICS leaders called for reform of Western institutions and promoted multilateral diplomacy. Lula likened BRICS to the Cold War’s Non-Aligned Movement. The bloc, now expanded to include nations like Iran and Indonesia, represents over half the world’s population. Notably, China and Russia's top leaders were absent from the summit.