Pedro Sanchez doesn’t turn back. The Spanish prime minister was criticized by Israel for his comments on the IDF’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, pointing out that it was “a question of humanity.”
When Pedro Sanchez visited the Egyptian Rafah terminal on Friday along with his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo, he declared that “the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians” in the Palestinian territories is “absolutely unacceptable,” a position also taken by the Belgian head of state both men expressed calls for a permanent ceasefire.
Israel immediately announced that it would invite the two countries’ ambassadors to an official protest, accusing the two leaders of “supporting terrorism.”
Pedro Sanchez responded to these allegations on Sunday at a meeting of the Socialist Party in Madrid.
“Not a question of politics or ideology”
“Condemning the heinous attacks of a terrorist group like Hamas while condemning the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza is not a matter of politics or ideology, it is a matter of humanity,” he said.
His foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said on television on Friday that he had called the Israeli ambassador in Madrid to formally protest against Israel’s allegations.
According to Israeli authorities, 1,200 people, the vast majority civilians, were massacred during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. The violence was unprecedented in the country’s history.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “eliminate Hamas,” a terrorist organization designated by the United States, European Union and Israel that relentlessly bombed Palestinian territory until the ceasefire began on Friday and launched a ground offensive on Oct. 27.
According to the Hamas government, nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli strikes.