“We cry out, implore, and demand: stop this massacre now. No more deaths in the name of a people so wise and ancient, who have suffered so greatly throughout history,” the king declared in his address on Wednesday, drawing a direct link between Spain’s Sephardic Jewish heritage and the nation’s anguish over the Gaza war.

Felipe VI stressed that Spain is “deeply proud of its Sephardic roots,” recalling how Jews expelled in 1492 were granted a symbolic homecoming through a 2015 law offering nationality to their descendants. It is precisely this shared history, he said, that makes Spain “so pained” by Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

The monarch condemned Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks on Israeli civilians, affirming Israel’s legitimate right to self-defence. But he insisted such actions cannot come at the expense of international humanitarian law. “With equal strength, we demand that the Israeli government fully uphold international humanitarian law throughout Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.

Felipe VI pressed for an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged enclave, and the release of captives held by Hamas. He underlined that the international community “must assume its responsibility to quickly realize a viable two-state solution,” adding that Spain’s recognition of Palestine earlier this year was part of a growing momentum toward a just and lasting peace.

The king’s remarks stood out as among the sharpest criticisms of Israel voiced from the UN podium this year, balancing a condemnation of terrorism with an equally forceful rebuke of Israel’s military campaign that has devastated Gaza.

Escalating toll in Gaza
 

At least 55 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to medical sources, as Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza City and struck three medical facilities. Health officials reported that 36 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City alone, while eight others died while waiting for aid near distribution centres north of Rafah.

These latest casualties brought the overall Palestinian death toll to 65,419, with 167,160 wounded since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza nearly two years ago.

Since world leaders began arriving in New York on Monday, the issue of Gaza and Palestinian statehood has dominated other diplomatic discussions, with a two-state solution conference kicking off the week of high-level gatherings. Country after country, including most US allies, used their time in the General Assembly, the Security Council, and in bilateral meetings across the UN campus to highlight the mounting civilian death toll and the devastating impact the war has had on Palestinian children.

Wider themes

 

While Gaza dominated his speech, Felipe also addressed wider challenges facing the UN, including the war in Ukraine, climate change, migration, and global inequalities. He underscored Spain’s commitment to multilateralism, warning that abandoning international law would leave the world to “the law of raw force.” He also highlighted Spain’s new agreement with Britain over Gibraltar as a step toward regional stability.

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