Israel summons Belarusian envoy after president accuses Tel Aviv of carrying out ‘Holocaust’ in Gaza

The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Belarusian ambassador to Tel Aviv on Wednesday to protest remarks by President Alexander Lukashenko in which he accused Israel of committing a "holocaust" in the Gaza Strip.

Ambassador Yuri Yarusevich was summoned by the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Eitan Bar-Tal, for a "reprimand" over the president's comments, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.

In televised remarks, Lukashenko condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and the humanitarian impact of Tel Aviv's two-year war on the enclave.

"The scale of destruction witnessed in Gaza has led many to reconsider the historical narrative of the Holocaust," he said.

"Many people are beginning to look at history and ask: What Holocaust? How can we talk about a Holocaust when the Israelis have killed so many people in Gaza, especially women and children? Everything has been wiped off the face of the earth."

According to the newspaper, Israeli officials called Lukashenko's comments "outrageous, anti-Semitic, and unacceptable."

The Israeli army has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 others in a deadly offensive since October 2023 that has also caused massive destruction of the territory's entire civilian infrastructure.

Israel has also maintained a choking blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its entire population on the verge of starvation.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued daily attacks, killing at least 1,005 Palestinians and injuring 3,157 others since the truce, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.