Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday that any ceasefire between Hamas and Israel must not come at the cost of justice for those responsible for what he called the ‘genocide’ in Gaza.
‘Peace cannot mean forgetting; it cannot mean impunity,’ the socialist (PSOE) leader told Cadena Ser radio in an interview. ALSO READ: Spain asks to join South Africa’s case at UN court accusing Israel of genocide.
‘Those who were key actors in the genocide perpetrated in Gaza must answer to justice, there can be no impunity,’ he added, when questioned about potential legal action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ALSO READ: Netanyahu accuses Sánchez of ‘blatant genocidal threat’ against Israel.
Spain has been among the strongest critics in Europe of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. In September, its public prosecutor announced an investigation into ‘serious violations’ of human rights in the Palestinian enclave, working in coordination with the International Criminal Court (ICC). ALSO READ: Spain to investigate possible war crimes in Gaza, supporting international criminal courts.
The ICC has since issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Sánchez, who took part in a Gaza peace summit in Egypt on Monday, also confirmed that Spain’s embargo on arms shipments to and from Israel will remain in force. ALSO READ: Trump tells Sánchez he’s doing a ‘fantastic job’ – days after suggesting Spain should be thrown out of NATO.
‘We will maintain this embargo until the process is consolidated and definitively moves towards peace,’ he said. ALSO READ: Spain imposes permanent weapons ban on Israel, among 8 other measures ‘to stop genocide’ in Gaza.
The prime minister further indicated that Spain may play a role in future peace-building and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
The conflict began after Hamas carried out an unprecedented cross-border assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,219 people – mostly civilians – and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has left at least 67,869 dead, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, whose figures are regarded by the United Nations as reliable.
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📹 La entrevista a Pedro Sánchez en ‘Hoy por Hoy’, en cinco minutoshttps://t.co/LY5jY9S8uD
— Hoy por Hoy (@HoyPorHoy) October 14, 2025
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