The Diplomat
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, yesterday received a group of relatives of hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas, among them one of the Spaniard Iván Illarramendi, to whom he reiterated the Government’s request for an “unconditional release” of all of them, according to diplomatic sources informed Europa Press.
Five relatives of twelve of the more than 220 kidnapped at the hands of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7 during the assault against Israel attended the meeting with Albares at the Ministry headquarters. The group, which the day before had met with the first vice president, Nadia Calviño, is visiting Spain to gather support for the release of their loved ones.
Also present was a relative of Iván Illarramendi, kidnapped along with his wife of Chilean nationality in a kibbutz located next to the Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli ambassador to Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, the sources said.
The minister conveyed to all of them his “support and solidarity with all those affected” by the Hamas terrorist attack and reiterated his demand for an “unconditional and immediate release” of all those kidnapped.
Likewise, Albares expressed Spain’s willingness to “contribute to initiatives that bring peace and stability” to the Middle East, in line with the message that he has been conveying in his contacts over the last two weeks with both his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, as with his counterparts in Arab countries.
During this time, the minister has also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Jewish associations in Spain, as well as with ambassadors from Arab countries accredited in Madrid and with Spanish NGOs working on the ground.
