Spain’s Sánchez: Gaza Ceasefire No Excuse for “Israel’s” Genocide to Go Unpunished

By Staff, Agencies

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has asserted that the recently signed ceasefire between Hamas and “Israel” must not absolve those responsible for the genocide in Gaza of accountability.

“Peace cannot mean forgetting; it cannot mean impunity,” Sánchez said in an interview on Tuesday, emphasizing that justice for Palestinian victims must remain a core element of any post-war settlement.

“Those who were key actors in the genocide perpetrated in Gaza must answer to justice — there can be no impunity,” he added, when asked about potential legal proceedings against “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In November last year, the International Criminal Court [ICC] issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.

Sánchez reaffirmed that Spain’s arms embargo on shipments to and from the “Israeli”-occupied territories remains in force. “We will maintain this embargo until the process is consolidated and definitively moves toward peace,” he said.

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza proposal — unveiled earlier this month — outlines a phased withdrawal of “Israeli” forces from Gaza, a prisoner exchange, and expanded humanitarian aid access.

Spain, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza, announced in September that its public prosecutor would investigate “serious violations” of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories in coordination with the ICC.

Sánchez has also unveiled several measures aimed at countering “Israel’s” atrocities in Gaza, including the denial of Spanish airspace to flights carrying military materials to the “Israeli”-occupied territories, and an entry ban on “all those participating directly in the genocide, human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza”.

Additional measures include an embargo on goods produced in “Israeli” settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Sánchez further suggested that Spain could contribute to future efforts to secure peace and support Gaza’s reconstruction.

Members of his government have publicly backed the pro-Palestinian movement, with Sánchez repeatedly condemning Europe’s double standards regarding Gaza and Ukraine. He described the international response to “Israel’s” genocidal assault on Gaza as “one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21^st century.”

Spain’s position marks a decisive foreign policy shift that deepened following “Israel’s” October 7, 2023 onslaught on Gaza — a campaign that has martyred at least 67,913 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with thousands more still trapped under the rubble.