Amman, June 11 (RHC)-- Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has raised the alarm about the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to “act in a responsible manner” and seize the opportunity for peace.  Sanchez was referring to a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza on Monday.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has accepted the resolution and is ready to negotiate.

Speaking at the Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza conference in Jordan, Sanchez said, “We must increase the pressure for a cease-fire,” in Gaza.  “Today, I stand in front of you convinced that our people expect from us that we all collectively advance toward concrete results and actions to stop the suffering in Gaza and build a better future of peace in the Middle East.”

He said the humanitarian catastrophe “is seriously undermining international law, the multilateral system, and the rules-based order.”

Spain, Sanchez said, will support increasing aid flows into Gaza as the situation there “is more critical now than ever.”  The Spanish leader also defended his county’s decision to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying, “International law must prevail.”  Madrid announced its intention to join the case in early May.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza prompted South Africa to file the case against the regime in December 2023. In its application, South Africa said Israel's actions in Gaza were "genocidal in character."

The World Court ordered Tel Aviv to take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza in January. Sanchez, however, said "it is evident they are not being respected” by Israel.

The regime has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October.