In response, Israel recalled its envoy to Madrid and summoned the Spanish ambassador for “shameful statements.”
The Spanish prime minister has expressed doubts whether Israel is respecting international law in its war on Gaza, given the high number of civilian casualties.
“Given the images we see and the increasing number of children who are dying, I seriously doubt that Israel respects international humanitarian law,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.
“What we are seeing in Gaza is not acceptable,” he said in an interview with Spanish public broadcaster TVE.
Israel responded to what it called Sanchez’s “shameful statement” by summoning the Spanish ambassador for a reprimand and recalling its envoy to Madrid for consultations.
“Israel conducts itself and will continue to conduct itself in accordance with international law,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on X.
Eight weeks of Israeli bombing and ground offensive in Gaza killed at least 15,000 Palestinians, uprooted three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million and sparked a debilitating humanitarian crisis, before a temporary truce was called. called on November 24.
Last week, Sanchez denounced Israel’s “indiscriminate massacre of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls” in the Gaza Strip.
“Violence will only lead to more violence,” he said during a visit to the Egyptian side of Gaza’s Rafah crossing.
He also called for a permanent ceasefire.
On Thursday, Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas entered the seventh day of a truce that gave some respite from the bloodshed in Gaza but left Palestinians nervous about renewed violence.
Diplomatic spat
Spain angered Israel with its official comments condemning Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza and encouraging Europe to discuss recognition of a Palestinian state.
Cohen responded to Sanchez’s comments last week, saying such sentiments gave “impetus to terrorism”, and summoned the Spanish ambassador for a “stern reprimand”.
Despite the diplomatic row, Sánchez said relations between Spain and Israel were “correct” and that “friendly countries must also say things to each other.”
During this hiatus, Hamas freed 97 captives, while 210 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons – many of whom had been held without charge.
During the truce, Israel continued to carry out deadly raids in the occupied West Bank, while rounding up almost as many new prisoners as it had released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made clear that the ongoing truce does not mean the end of the war. He pledged to “resume the fighting” to eliminate Hamas as soon as “this phase of repatriation of our abductees is exhausted.”
Also on Thursday, three people were killed and 16 others injured after two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israeli police said. The attackers were also killed and Hamas later claimed them as members.
