The deputy chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Forces has come under fire after comparing modern Israeli society to pre-Holocaust Germany during a speech to mark the start of Israel’s Holocaust remembrance day.

"If there's something that frightens me about Holocaust remembrance it's the recognition of the revolting processes that occurred in Europe in general, and particularly in Germany, back then – 70, 80 and 90 years ago – and finding signs of them here among us today in 2016," Maj Gen Yair Golan said.

The "bombshell" speech sparked fierce debate, with many outraged at Mr Golan's choice of words.

"Before Holocaust deniers will raise these erroneous words as a standard, before our soldiers will be compared to Nazis, God forbid, with legitimisation from high above, the deputy chief of staff has erred," Naftali Bennet, Israel’s education minister and head of the pro-settlement ‘Jewish home’ party, said. "He must rectify this immediately."