Brazil withdrew its ambassador to Israel from its embassy in Tel Aviv after months of tension over the war in Gaza.

Ambassador Frederico Mayer will join the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, according to a decree published Wednesday in the Official Gazette of Brazil.

The decree did not mention an alternative to Mayer.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry told CNN that it had not received an "official letter" from the Brazilian government in this regard. But Israel says that “in response to the report, the Brazilian commissioner has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting on the matter tomorrow (Thursday).”

Last February, Brazil summoned Mayer after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva persona non grata in Israel for comparing the Israeli operation in Gaza to the Holocaust.

Lula said on one occasion, “What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in history. It actually happened when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”

At the time, Katz said that Lula would not be welcome in Israel until he apologized and retracted his comments.

On other occasions, Lula spoke out against Israel's actions in Gaza.

CNN Brasil reported that Meir recently returned to Tel Aviv after being summoned in February.