Hamas thanked this Saturday the “clear and bold stance” of the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, who yesterday criticized the high number of Gazan civilian victims in the war between Israel and the Islamist group. in the Gaza Strip.
“We appreciate the clear and bold stance of the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, who affirmed his rejection of the destruction of Gaza and the murder of civilians; and of the Spanish Pedro Sánchez, who condemned the indiscriminate killings of the occupying State against civilians in the Strip , and pointed out the possibility that his country unilaterally recognizes the Palestinian State, if the European Union does not take this step,” Hamas said in a statement.
Both leaders held a press conference yesterday on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, shortly before the release of the first Israeli hostages, in which they urged Hamas to hand over all captives, and Israel to fulfill its obligations regarding international right.
“The time has come for the international community and for the European Union to once and for all recognize the State of Palestine,” said Sánchez, who announced that Spain could “make its own decisions” if the EU does not take that step.
On this matter, Hamas today called on “all countries in the world” to stand “on the side of justice and the Palestinian cause”, support “these bold positions and intensify them against the occupation”, demand an end of “their aggression and genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and hold their leaders “accountable for their crimes against children and defenseless civilians.
On Thursday Sánchez and De Croo visited Israel, where they were received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen; in addition to touring Kibbutz Beeri, one of those massacred by Hamas on October 7.
After the press conference in Rafah, the Israeli Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned the ambassadors to Israel of Spain and Belgium, Ana Sálomon Pérez and Jean-Luc Bodson, respectively, for a “harsh reprimand conversation.”
“We condemn the false statements of the heads of government of Spain and Belgium, which support terrorism,” said Cohen, a condemnation that also came from Netanyahu himself.
“The comments did not attribute full responsibility to Hamas for the crimes against humanity it perpetrated: massacring Israeli citizens and using Palestinians as human shields,” the Israeli prime minister said.
The Israeli Ministry has not revealed when the meeting with the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium will take place, but it will likely be on Sunday or Monday.
In response, both Spain and Belgium have also summoned the Israeli ambassadors to meetings.
“The accusations are totally false and unacceptable and we categorically reject them,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, who added that his department is analyzing “the appropriate response.”
According to Albares, the Israeli Government’s accusations “are especially serious” because they are directed against the current president of the EU Council (Sánchez) and the prime minister of the country that will occupy the EU Presidency as of December 1. January (De Croo).
