Former Cuban President Fidel Castro slammed Israel on Friday and compared its policies to those of Nazi Germany. He said Israel seems to have taken the swastika as its banner, and that it would "not hesitate" to send the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza to "crematoriums".

The former communist leader published an article in local press in which he said, "The State of Israel's hatred towards the Palestinians is such that it would not hesitate to send 1.5 million men, women and children to the crematoriums in which millions of Jews of all ages were killed."

Israeli has recently come under harsh criticism from many countries around the world over its takeover of the Gaza-bound Marmara ship, in which nine activists were killed.

Castro added in his article that, "The swastika would seem to be the flag of Israel today." He emphasized that his words were not "born of hatred", and noted that his country assisted persecuted Jews during the Second World War.

He also addressed the new round of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council against Iran , and said a confrontation with Israel is inevitable, and that even the UN and US "cannot alter the chain of events".

He claimed that Iran is subject to Israeli threats, and will not give in to the "inequality" it has been dealt amid the decision to impose further sanctions on Tehran.

The outcome, he said, would have been different had a similar resolution been passed against Israel, since the United States would have vetoed the decision.

"But when Iran is accused of enriching uranium to 20%, the US immediately demands economic sanctions against Tehran," he said.