Brazil said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador, in a tit-for-tat move escalating a row that erupted when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared Israel’s campaign in Gaza to Hitler’s genocide of Jews, AFP reports.

The Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement that Brazil had also recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv for “consultations,” after Israel summoned the Brazilian envoy and declared Lula “persona non grata” over his remarks, demanding an apology.