At Arab summit, Spain’s PM urges ‘pressure on Israel to halt Gaza massacre’

CAIRO – 17 May 2025: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for global pressure on Israel to “halt the massacre in Gaza” as he addressed the 34th Arab League summit held in Baghdad on Saturday.

Sanchez unveiled plans by Madrid to introduce a UN resolution requesting a ruling by the International Court of Justice on humanitarian aid access to Gaza amid Israeli blockage.

Sanchez urged world leaders to “intensify our pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza, particularly through the channels afforded to us by international law.”

He slammed the Israeli war for resulting in “unacceptable number” of victims in violation with the “principle of humanity.”

The Arab leaders met in Baghdad to discuss growing tensions across the region, including the Gaza war, the unwavering Israeli violence in the West Bank besides the crises in Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, and Libya.

Their meeting comes while Israel has intensified attacks on Gaza, killing more than 250 people over the past two days despite recent negotiations in Doha to secure a ceasefire.

The Israeli army announced a new operation that aims to seize “strategic areas” of the enclave and free the captives held by Hamas.

Israeli reports said the operation includes previously announced plans to take control of the enclave, displace civilians to the south of the strip and prevent Hamas from benefiting from the humanitarian aid supplies.

Tel Aviv has blocked aid bound for Gaza since 2 March as it claimed that assistance falls into the hands of Hamas, leaving the entire population facing the risk of famine, according to UN estimates.

The war in Gaza has killed over 53,000 people, predominantly women and children, according to local health authorities.

Intensifying pressure on Israel, Italy on Saturday called for Israel to stop its deadly military strikes in Gaza.

“We no longer want to see the Palestinian people suffer,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, according to his spokesman.

“Let's come to a ceasefire, let's free the hostages, but let's leave people who are victims of Hamas alone.”