On September 8, 2025, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made headlines across Europe and the Middle East by taking an unprecedented legal and rhetorical stand against Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza. In a nationally televised address from the Moncloa Palace, Sánchez did not mince words: for the first time, he publicly labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza as "genocide," marking a dramatic escalation in Spain’s criticism of the conflict and setting the country apart from its European peers.
“There is a difference between defending your country and bombing hospitals or starving innocent children. This is an unjustifiable attack on the civilian population, which the U.N. rapporteur has described as genocide. Sixty thousand dead, two million displaced, half of them children. This is not self-defense, it is not even an attack — it is the extermination of a defenseless people and a violation of every international law,” Sánchez declared, according to EL PAÍS.
The move comes after months of internal debate within Spain’s governing coalition. While Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) had previously resisted the use of such charged terminology, the smaller left-wing party Sumar had openly advocated for it. Defense Minister Margarita Robles had used the term “genocide” earlier in 2024 and was rebuked for doing so, but Sánchez’s latest statement signaled a definitive shift in Spain’s official stance.
But Sánchez did not stop at words. He unveiled a package of nine sweeping measures, to be enacted immediately, aimed squarely at increasing pressure on Israel. Chief among them is a royal decree law, to be approved by the Spanish Cabinet and ratified by Congress, that legally cements a total embargo on the purchase and sale of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to Israel—a practice Spain had already been following de facto since October 2023. The decree also prohibits Spanish airspace to any state aircraft transporting defense material to Israel and bans ships carrying military-grade jet fuel or support for the Israeli military from docking at Spanish ports.
“Spain does not have nuclear bombs. We cannot stop the Israeli offensive alone, but we will not stop trying,” Sánchez said, acknowledging the limited impact Spain might have on the broader conflict, as reported by Devdiscourse. “We have promoted U.N. resolutions, sent humanitarian aid to Gaza, halted arms sales to Israel, and advanced recognition of Palestine. We have fought against indifference to offer a horizon of hope to the Palestinian people.”
The measures go further still. Spain will ban entry to its territory for all individuals “participating in the genocide,” including Israeli government officials and military personnel. The government also announced an increase in its humanitarian commitment: an additional €10 million ($11.7 million) to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and another €150 million ($175 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza through 2026. Furthermore, Spain will prohibit the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements in both Gaza and the West Bank, aiming to combat the occupation and forced displacement of Palestinians. Consular services for Spanish citizens residing in such settlements will be reduced to the bare legal minimum.
Spain’s support for the Palestinian Authority will also be reinforced. The country plans to increase its personnel in the EU’s border assistance mission at Rafah and launch new collaborative projects with the Palestinian Authority in agriculture, food security, and medical assistance. These moves, according to Sánchez, are designed to “keep the two-state solution alive.”
Sánchez began his address by acknowledging the historical suffering of the Jewish people, including the Holocaust, and reaffirmed Spain’s condemnation of Hamas’s attacks. “The Jewish people have suffered countless persecutions, deserve to have their own state, and to feel secure. That is why the Spanish government has condemned Hamas’ attacks from day one,” he said. Yet, he drew a sharp distinction between Israel’s right to security and what he described as “bombing hospitals and starving innocent boys and girls.”
Spain’s position has drawn sharp criticism from Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry, led by Gideon Saar, swiftly accused the Spanish government of antisemitism and corruption, even invoking the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. In a tit-for-tat response, Israel barred entry to Spanish Vice President and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz and Minister of Youth and Childhood Sira Rego—both prominent critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. According to CTV News, Israel’s response underscored the rapidly escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Within Spain, the debate over how far to go remains fierce. The left-wing Sumar party has called for a complete break in diplomatic relations with Israel or at least the recall of Spain’s ambassador in Tel Aviv, a proposal the PSOE has so far rejected. Foreign Ministry officials argue that breaking ties would be counterproductive, potentially harming Palestine’s interests and excluding Spain from any role in future peace negotiations. They note that no Arab country, not even those most critical of Israel, nor the Palestinian Authority itself, has severed diplomatic relations with Israel. “Dialogue is always necessary to seek solutions and assist Palestinians,” one official explained, as reported by EL PAÍS.
Spain’s bold stance is not entirely new. The country was the first in Western Europe to officially recognize a Palestinian state in May 2024, a move that several other countries have only recently begun to follow. Sánchez is positioning Spain as a leader in advocating for Palestinian rights, even as he acknowledges the limited leverage his country holds. “The great powers end up stuck between indifference and complicity,” he remarked pointedly, implicitly criticizing the hesitancy of Spain’s European allies and the broader international community.
The government’s hope is that these measures will “add pressure and help alleviate some of the suffering” in Gaza. “In one of the most infamous episodes of the 21st century, at least citizens should know that Spain was on the right side of history,” Sánchez concluded, according to EL PAÍS. The government believes these actions place Spain at the “vanguard” of international pressure on Israel to halt what it now openly calls genocide.
As the world watches, the diplomatic fallout continues to unfold. While Spain’s measures may not be enough to halt the fighting in Gaza, they have undeniably shifted the conversation, forcing both allies and adversaries to reconsider their own positions. With humanitarian aid flowing and diplomatic tensions rising, Spain’s government has made it clear: indifference is no longer an option.