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Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, denounced Israel’s strikes on Beirut and the Gaza Strip, reiterating its demand for an immediate ceasefire.
In a statement shared on X, Albares highlighted that dozens had been killed as a result of Israeli bomb attacks against Beirut and Gaza.
El recrudecimiento de bombardeos en Beirut y Gaza, que condenamos, están dejando decenas de víctimas. La destrucción y la muerte tiene que parar en Oriente Medio. Exigimos alto el fuego, cumplimiento del Derecho Internacional. España está siempre con la paz y protección civiles.
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) November 17, 2024
He condemned the attacks, calling for an end to the violence and destruction in the region.
“The intensification of bombings in Beirut and Gaza, which we condemn, is leaving dozens of victims. The destruction and death must stop in the Middle East,” he wrote.
“We demand a ceasefire and compliance to international law,” he added, emphasising the urgent need to halt Israel’s ongoing military assault. The Minister further reaffirmed Spain’s unwavering support for peace and the safeguarding of civilians.
It comes after the Spanish Premier called, Friday, on the international community to stop weapons exports to Israel, noting that Spain halted arms sales to Israel in October 2023.
The Ministry held “countries that provide arms and military equipment to Israel responsible for encouraging it to continue its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people.”
It called on signatories of the Arms Trade Treaty “to act decisively to end Israel’s use of arms and military equipment to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, human rights and against Palestinian civilians.”
Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 42,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.
The conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed more than 1,437 people and injured over 4,123 others since 23 September.
Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching on 1 October a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
READ: Spain rejects Israeli criticism of Madrid’s condemnation of Gaza bombing