Spain PM says truce does not mean impunity for Gaza 'genocide'

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday the truce between Hamas and Israel must not come at the expense of holding accountable those responsible for the "genocide" in Gaza.

"Peace cannot mean forgetting; it cannot mean impunity," the Socialist premier said during an interview with Cadena Ser radio.

"Those who were key actors in the genocide perpetrated in Gaza must answer to justice, there can be no impunity," he added when asked about the possibility of legal proceedings against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Spain, one of the most vocal critics in Europe of Israel's war in Gaza, announced in September that its prosecutor would investigate "serious violations" of human rights in the Palestinian territory in coordination with the International Criminal Court.

The court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel's former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

Sanchez, who attended a peace summit on Gaza in Egypt on Monday, reaffirmed that Spain's arms embargo on shipments to and from Israel remains in place. 

"We will maintain this embargo until the process is consolidated and definitively moves towards peace," he said.

Sanchez also suggested Spain could take part in future efforts to secure peace and aid reconstruction in Gaza.

The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures, as well as the abduction of 251 hostages.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 67,869 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from Gaza's Health Ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.