Spain welcomes ceasefire in Gaza and calls for “a definitive cessation of hostilities”

Eduardo González The Spanish Government welcomed this Wednesday the ceasefire agreement signed this Wednesday by Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, thanked “the work of the mediating countries, Qatar, Egypt and the United States” and asked that this agreement culminate “with a definitive cessation of hostilities”. “Spain welcomes the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the violence in the Gaza Strip, the massive entry of humanitarian aid and the release of the hostages still held captive,” declared the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a statement. “Sixteen months after the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, the conflict has left an unbearable number of victims in Gaza and has led to an escalation of tension at the regional level,” it continued. “This agreement must culminate in a definitive cessation of hostilities,” it warned. “Spain wishes to thank the work of the mediating countries, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and undertakes to support the implementation of the agreement by the parties, as well as to stabilise the situation, for which the return to Gaza of the Palestinian Authority and the humanitarian work of UNRWA, which must be able to continue operating in the Strip, will be essential,” declared the Foreign Ministry. “Spain is ready to provide large-scale humanitarian aid as soon as possible,” it assured. “This agreement is a first step that must be followed by additional measures to implement the two-state solution, which is the only path to peace in the region,” it concluded. “I welcome with hope the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas,” the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, declared through social networks. “It must put an end to the conflict, allow us to deal with the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza and the release of all hostages,” he continued. “This agreement is crucial to achieving regional stability” and represents “an indispensable step on the road to the two-state solution and a just peace that respects international law,” he added. “All my gratitude to the tireless work of Qatar, Egypt and the United States as mediators who have made it possible,” he concluded. For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, welcomed the ceasefire agreement from Beirut. “It is excellent news that what Spain has been demanding for months, the ceasefire and the return of the hostages, is being fulfilled,” he declared. “We hope that humanitarian aid will also be provided on a massive scale, Spain is ready for its help to come in. What we want is for the ceasefire to be permanent in both Gaza and Lebanon and for peace to open up for the future: there must be a future of peace for Israel and Palestine,” he added. “We want it to become permanent, for a future of peace for all the peoples of the Middle East to open up,” he continued. “I want to congratulate the work of Qatar, Egypt and the US for so many months of fruitful work,” he declared. This is a time for congratulations and a time of hope that is opening up for everyone in the Middle East, and I call on all parties to ensure that Spain and Europe will be at their side for a peaceful future. Israelis and Palestinians have the same right to peace, and it is possible to reach agreements. More than 45,000 Palestinians dead and 2,000 Israelis dead are enough, the time has come to approach Middle East relations in a different way,” he added. According to Albares, Spain already has “24 million euros in emergency humanitarian aid ready to reach Gaza. We can quickly reach 50 million euros. What Spain would have wanted is for the aid to have arrived as soon as possible.” Israel and Hamas have reached a six-week ceasefire agreement in Gaza after fifteen months of war, which provides for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to the north and the entry of humanitarian aid. It also includes the release of 33 of the nearly 100 hostages held by Hamas, the release by Israel of 30 Palestinian prisoners for each civilian hostage released and 50 Palestinians for each soldier (for a total of between 990 and 1,650 Palestinians) and the start of negotiations for a second phase of the agreement starting this Thursday, which are expected to conclude with the release of the remaining hostages. The implementation of the agreement will be guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. The “success of the ceasefire and the arrival of large quantities of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave” was officially announced this Wednesday at a press conference in Doha by the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar,Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, who has acted as mediator between the parties. Before the press conference in Doha, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, had announced, through social networks, that an agreement had been reached for a ceasefire and for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. He also attributed this “epic ceasefire agreement” to his electoral victory and assured that he will work “closely” with Israel to “guarantee that Gaza never again becomes a refuge for terrorists.”

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