Published On 1/7/2026
The Minister of Health of Spain announced the arrival of 20 Palestinian children and their families to Spain, as part of the sixth batch of evacuations from the Gaza Strip.
The minister wrote on her account on the X platform, “They leave behind the brutality of life to receive the care they need in our hospitals. They arrive carrying fear, but also hope. A source of national pride.”
For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote: “No human being, and certainly no child, should suffer the horrors being committed in Gaza.”
He added: “Today, our country is hosting 100 Palestinians, including 20 children, with their families, to receive the necessary treatment. Providing care for them is a moral duty, as is defending their right to return to their homes safely. There is no room for neglect.”
Support Gaza
In a remarkable European position, the Spanish government adopted a political stance rejecting the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, and escalated against Israel’s policies against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and Lebanon through a series of diplomatic steps and practical measures that reflected a more stringent approach compared to the rest of the European Union countries.
These measures included permanently withdrawing the Spanish ambassador from Tel Aviv, banning the entry of those accused of war crimes, in addition to preventing any activities linked to the Israeli army from crossing over Spanish territory.
Sanchez recently called for the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel, stressing the need to hold Israel accountable for the human rights violations it commits.
The partnership agreement is a basic framework that regulates commercial and political relations between the two sides, as it provides broad facilities for trade exchange, reduces customs restrictions, and supports cooperation in multiple fields, including scientific research.
Recognition of the State of Palestine
Recent years have witnessed increasing tension between Madrid and Tel Aviv. In the midst of the war on Gaza, the Sanchez government did not hesitate to take explicit positions against Israeli military operations, and official figures described what was happening as genocide, while Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz made statements that sparked widespread anger in Israel.
The turning point came in May 2024, when Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine, prompting Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to recall its ambassador and reduce diplomatic representation. Madrid responded quickly with practical steps, including preventing arms ships bound for Israel from docking in its ports.
The matter did not stop there. In light of the escalating regional tensions in early 2026, Spain announced the closure of its airspace to any aircraft related to the war on Iran, which sparked an unprecedented wave of Israeli criticism, reaching the point of describing it as the most hostile in Europe.
