Spain’s prime minister has expressed doubts that Israel is abiding by international law in its war on Gaza.
“The footage we are seeing and the growing numbers of children dying, I have serious doubt [Israel] is complying with international humanitarian law,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday, noting the high number of casualties in the besieged strip.
“What we are seeing in Gaza is not acceptable,” he added, speaking in an interview with Spanish state-owned broadcaster TVE.
Last week Sanchez denounced Israel’s “indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls” in the Gaza Strip.
“Violence will only lead to more violence,” he added, while on a visit to the Egyptian side of Gaza’s Rafah crossing on Friday.
On his trip, Sanchez also called for a permanent ceasefire.
On Thursday, Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas entered the seventh day of a temporary truce that has given some respite to the bloodshed in Gaza, but left Palestinians on edge over when the violence may resume.
Diplomatic spat
Spain has angered Tel Aviv with its official comments condemning Israel’s attacks in Gaza and encouraging Europe to discuss recognition of a Palestinian state.
Israel’s seven-week offensive in Gaza killed at least 15,000 people, including over 5,500 children, before the truce was called on November 24.
During the pause, Hamas has freed at least 74 the Israeli captives it took in its October 7 attack, while Israel has released 210 Palestinian prisoners – many of whom it held without charge.
Despite the fragile truce in Gaza, Israel has continued to wage deadly raids in the West Bank, while rounding up nearly as many new prisoners as it has released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also made clear that the ongoing truce does not signal an end to the war. He has vowed to “return to fighting” to root at Hamas as soon as “this phase of returning our abductees is exhausted”.
Source: Al Jazeera