Tensions between Spain and Israel deepened further on Tuesday, with Madrid announcing a bar on two far-right Israeli ministers from entering Spanish territory, just a day after unveiling new steps to counter what it described as ‘the genocide in Gaza’. ALSO READ: Spain imposes permanent weapons ban on Israel, among 8 other measures ‘to stop genocide’ in Gaza.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares (main image) said at a press conference that Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would face sanctions and ‘not be able to enter Spanish territory’.
The move followed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Monday announcement of nine measures in response to the continuing devastation in Gaza after Hamas’s unprecedented assault on Israel in 2023. Among them was a travel ban for ‘all those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip’. ALSO READ: Spain joins international condemnation of Israel’s plans to take over Gaza City.
Both Ben Gvir and Smotrich are already subject to restrictions from other Western countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia. Spain had previously added 13 Israeli settlers to its own sanctions list.
Israel reacted angrily to Madrid’s latest measures. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused the Spanish government of antisemitism and announced retaliatory entry bans on two of its left-wing cabinet members – deputy PM Yolanda Díaz and Spain’s Youth Minister Sira Rego – citing their alleged ‘support for terrorism and violence against Israelis’.
Spain denounced Saar’s remarks as ‘slanderous’ and also recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, with Albares confirming on Tuesday that there was ‘no scheduled return date’ for her. ALSO READ: Sánchez: ‘We have a moral duty to save lives in Gaza’, which is a ‘catastrophic situation of genocide’.
The two countries’ diplomatic ties were already fraught, with Madrid maintaining vocal criticism of Israel’s Gaza campaign and formally recognising a Palestinian state last year.
The 7 October 2023 Hamas attack killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli data. Militants also abducted 251 hostages; 47 remain in Gaza, with 25 of them presumed dead.
Israel’s subsequent offensive has left at least 64,605 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations regards as credible. ALSO READ: Film director Pedro Almodóvar urges Spain to cut all ties with Israel over Gaza.
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Ante la escala de la catástrofe humanitaria en Gaza, España actúa.
Hoy el #CMin ha aprobado nueve medidas adicionales por la paz y los derechos humanos en Gaza.
España es el país del mundo más está haciendo por Palestina y la paz en Oriente Medio. pic.twitter.com/TBVF7uEF2n
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) September 9, 2025
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