THE Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denounced what he called the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza today, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said such statements fueled terrorism.

Speaking during his visit to Rafah, the border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt, with his Belgian counterpart Alexandre de Croix, Sanchez also called for a permanent humanitarian ceasefire “to reverse the catastrophic situation that the people of the Strip are experiencing Gaza”.

“The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, is completely unacceptable”said the Spanish Prime Minister.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen later issued a statement accusing Sanchez and de Croo of “false allegations” that “enhance terrorism,” adding that he had summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium to Israel for explanations.

THE Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he also took issue with Sanchez and de Croo’s statements, saying the two European leaders failed to highlight what he called Hamas’ crimes against humanity.

“Prime Minister (Benyamin) Netanyahu strongly condemns the Belgian and Spanish Prime Minister’s comments that they do not hold Hamas fully responsible for the crimes against humanity it has committed, which has massacred our citizens and is using Palestinians as human shields.”Netanyahu’s office announced.

This diplomatic incident occurred shortly before Hamas released 24 hostages on the first day of a ceasefire, in an Israeli-Hamas agreement reached after seven weeks of fighting.

A day earlier, Sanchez during his visit to Israel met Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank, and floated the idea of ​​an international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aimed at creating of a viable Palestinian state.