Hamas attacks don't justify killing 'millions of innocents': Brazil's president

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday the "terrorist attack" by Palestinian militants against Israel on October 7 did not justify killing "millions of innocents" in Gaza.

"Just because Hamas committed a terrorist attack against Israel doesn't mean Israel has to kill millions of innocents," the veteran leftist said in his weekly live address on social media.

Thousands of civilians have been killed on both sides since the conflict began when Hamas fighters stormed across the border, indiscriminately killing civilians in the deadliest attack since Israel was created in 1948.

In retaliation, Israel has launched a relentless campaign of air strikes on the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, electricity and food to the territory.

The UN Security Council is set to hold a new meeting on the conflict Tuesday, after failing to pass two resolutions aimed at brokering a ceasefire, including one put forward by Brazil.

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Lula, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, said the conflict had exposed the "weakness" of the United Nations.

"If the UN were stronger, it could play a bigger role" in brokering a stop to the fighting, he said.

Lula called for talks to set up a humanitarian corridor for the besieged Gaza Strip and broker a peace deal in which "Israel keeps its territory and the Palestinians have theirs."

Israeli authorities say 1,400 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage in the Hamas attack.

The Hamas-run health ministry says 5,791 Palestinians have since been killed across Gaza in Israel's bombardments.

Lula's weekly address was the first since he took a three-week break after undergoing hip surgery.