Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has escalated his criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu's government of 'exterminating a defenceless people' through bombing hospitals and causing starvation among children. Speaking on Monday, Sánchez announced a series of measures aimed at increasing pressure on Israel to end the conflict, including a formal ban on military equipment sales to Israel and a prohibition on Spanish ports and airspace being used for transporting fuel or weapons to the Israeli military.
Sánchez stated that while Spain supports Israel's right to exist and defend itself, the current actions go beyond self-defence. He described the campaign as 'a new wave of illegal occupations and an unjustifiable attack against the Palestinian civilian population', which he said many experts already label as genocide. The prime minister pointed to the high numbers of dead, injured, displaced and malnourished Palestinians, arguing that Israel is 'breaking all the rules of humanitarian law'.
In response, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, announced a ban on two senior Spanish politicians—labour minister Yolanda Díaz and youth minister Sira Rego—from entering Israel, accusing them of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric. Sa'ar claimed Díaz was exploiting Sánchez's political weakness to push an anti-Israel agenda. The Spanish foreign ministry dismissed these accusations as 'false and slanderous' and recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, stating that Spain would not be intimidated in its defence of peace and international law.
Sánchez also criticised the international community for being 'paralysed between indifference and complicity' with Netanyahu's government. He acknowledged that the measures announced may not be sufficient to stop the invasion or war crimes but expressed hope they would add to pressure on Israel, alleviate Palestinian suffering, and demonstrate Spain's commitment to being 'on the right side of history'. The Spanish government also increased humanitarian aid to Gaza and said it would deny entry to individuals directly involved in the genocide.
