By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for a humanitarian cease-fire in a phone conversation late Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sanchez expressed his "deep concern for the protection of all civilians and the need for sufficient and sustained humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza." For this to happen, a humanitarian cease-fire is necessary, he emphasized.
He also reiterated his condemnation of attacks against Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, affirming Tel Aviv's right to "defend itself against them within the limits of international and humanitarian law."
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke to the leaders of Spain, France, and the Netherlands. In the calls, he said "Israel's victory over Hamas would be a victory for the entire world" and thanked them for "their support of Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas's brutal terrorism," according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
The office revealed plans for Netanyahu to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Israel this week. However, no meeting with Sanchez was on the agenda.
Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalated earlier this month, Spanish leaders have been openly critical of aspects of the Israeli response, including the targeting of civilians and the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
A public diplomatic spat even broke out between the two countries after the Israeli Embassy in Spain accused some government ministers of having "chosen to align themselves with this ISIS-like terrorism" for their criticism of Israel's response.
Spain's Foreign Ministry did not cave into Israeli's request to "condemn" critical comments from far-left members of the coalition government. Instead, it accused Israel of making up lies against the ministers and emphasized that Spain is a "full democracy," which means politicians can express their political beliefs freely.
Sanchez, over the weekend, participated in the Cairo Peace Summit, which concluded without achieving a decisive outcome or unified statement. He also held a bilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, who he "thanked for all his efforts to de-escalate the conflict and avoid a regional crisis."
In his statement on Sunday, Sanchez concluded: "It is necessary to avoid a regional escalation of the conflict. We must address a definitive solution to reach peace, based on the two states-solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and safety."
The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when resistance group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the GazaStrip.
At least 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children and 1,023 women have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.