Prime Ministers of Spain, Belgium Reject Israel’s Criticism Over Stance on Gaza

MADRID (Sputnik) - Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday rejected Israel's accusations of supporting terrorism after their remarks on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in the day, Sanchez and De Croo visited Egypt, where the Spanish prime minister called for a lasting ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. He also slammed the "completely unacceptable" indiscriminate killings of Gaza civilians by Israel. De Croo also called on Israel to respect international humanitarian law.

After the press conference the Israeli foreign ministry condemned "the false claims of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Belgium which support terrorism," and summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium.

"The accusations made by the Israeli government against the Prime Minister [Sanchez] and the Belgian Prime Minister are absolutely false and unacceptable. We categorically reject them," the Spanish foreign minister said.

De Croo, for his part, insisted on his "balanced" stance, saying that Belgium condemned terrorism and opposed the killing of civilians by both sides of the conflict.

"I said that humanitarian aid is not getting through [to the Gaza Strip] because of problems on Israel's part. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. I condemned the Hamas attacks and emphasized Israel's right to defend itself, of course within the framework of international law. I also stated that the killing of civilians on both sides must stop. That is a balanced message. We will invite the Israeli ambassador to Belgium for coffee and reiterate our position," De Croo told Belgian news agency Soir.

During their Middle East trip, Sanchez and De Croo also visited Israel and the West Bank.

The escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas started on October 7. On Friday morning, the sides launched a four-day truce to exchange some of the prisoners and hostages. The deal also committed Israel to allowing daily supply of humanitarian aid and fuel to the Gaza Strip.