GENEVA

Spain's acting social rights minister on Sunday urged Europe to act urgently against "planned genocide" in Palestine.

Ione Belarra's remarks came in a video shared on her X account, in which she spoke to reporters during a pro-Palestine protest in Madrid.

“Today we are here accompanying all the decent people of our country and also all those people throughout Europe who want to ask and demand an end once and for all to this planned genocide, this ethnic cleansing of the people of Palestine that is being carried out by the State of Israel,” Belarra said.

The European leaders, including the Spanish, are "not up to the gravity of the circumstances," she said and stressed: "We do not want to be complicit in this planned genocide and we think that Europe must act urgently. I believe that Europe is going to pay dearly for this hypocrisy."

She continued: "The public is astonished to see how the whole position of the European Union is subordinated to the interests of the United States and the State of Israel."

Saying that such a position can change today, the minister called on European countries once again to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel, and apply exemplary economic sanctions against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire political leadership, as well as an arms embargo.

“Of course, (we should) take Netanyahu to the International Criminal Court to be judged as what he is, a war criminal,” she said and added: "I insist, not with our silence and not with our complicity. We need the European Union to act.”

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas carried out a cross-border attack, killing 1,400 people, and taking many hostages.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 8,005, including 3,342 children, 2,062 women, and 460 elderly, according to the Health Ministry.

The Israeli army's spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, on Saturday announced "expanding its operations," and moving to the "next phase of our war against Hamas," which includes ground operations.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are also grappling with shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave.