Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (L) and and US President Donald Trump shake hands during the greetings ceremony at the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. AFP
"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.
Independent bodies and leading human rights researchers have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip under the Genocide Convention, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a report on 16 September.
Amnesty International’s December 2024 report reached similar conclusions, citing acts “prohibited under the Genocide Convention”, including mass killings, inflicting serious bodily and mental harm, and creating life conditions intended to bring about physical destruction.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars also said the legal threshold for genocide has been met.
Spain, one of the most vocal critics in Europe of Israel's assault on 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.
Israel has killed at least 67,869 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, and wounded nearly 170,000 others.
Sanchez's comments comes as Israeli forces have continued to carry out attacks inside Gaza despite the truce.
At least six Palestinians were killed and several others wounded on Tuesday after Israeli drones opened fire on residents inspecting their homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis.
On Monday, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, also in violation of the ceasefire, according to WAFA.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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