Spain reiterates cease-fire call for Gaza amid Israeli attacks

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) — Spain's foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated Madrid's call for unhindered humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of hostages a cease-fire to halt Israel's onslaught on the Palestinian enclave.

"We're talking about 32,000 civilian deaths. It's a number, but they're not just numbers," Jose Manuel Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio program Hoy por Hoy.

Albares noted that Spain had "tripled its humanitarian assistance" to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

"Since November we have provided an extra €35 million ($37.9 million) to UNRWA to assist those refugees also in Gaza," he said.

He asserted that Spain had ceased military exports to regions embroiled in conflict, condemning violence and backing sanctions against perpetrators.

"The position of the Spanish Government has been clear since Oct. 7," said Albares, adding:

"The Palestinian people have the right to land and hope and that hope is the Palestinian state."

"We condemn terrorist acts like never before. Hamas is not a partner for peace. But what is clear is that the Palestinian people should not be condemned to be refugees forever."

According to the minister, a Palestinian state "with Gaza and the West Bank under the same national authority, a port in Gaza, sea access, and a capital in East Jerusalem," can be a "realistic and viable," solution.

"The Palestinian state is also the best guarantee of security, a legitimate security guarantee that the State of Israel wants for the Israeli people. I have said it many times. The hope of the Palestinian people, which is a Palestinian state, and the security of the Israeli people are closely intertwined," he concluded.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 172nd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.