Spain’s prime minister said Wednesday that those responsible for the destruction in Gaza must face justice, insisting that true peace requires accountability as he welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Madrid for an official visit.
Speaking at La Moncloa Palace on Human Rights Day, Pedro Sanchez framed the occasion as deeply symbolic, noting the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and stressing that human dignity is "an unconditional, unique and non-negotiable value."
He said 2025 "has been a terrible year for the Palestinian people," with nine out of 10 homes in Gaza now uninhabitable and "thousands of lives and families" destroyed.
Citing U.N. estimates of more than 50 million tons of rubble across the enclave, Sanchez said physical reconstruction would eventually be possible, but the greater challenge will be "how to rebuild hope" and ensure that peace is more than "a brief parenthesis between wars."
He warned that the ceasefire has not ended the suffering of civilians. "Even today, after the ceasefire (declaration), Palestinians in Gaza are still suffering attacks ... We need real peace. Those responsible for this genocide must be held accountable," he said.
