ROME 

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing a two-state solution that included the establishment of a separate Palestinian state alongside Israel. 

"We reiterate our call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza. The international community and Europe can’t remain indifferent to the suffering of thousands of innocent people, particularly women and children," he said following his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Madrid.  

"We can't live with death and destruction, and we can't accept violence," he said at a joint press conference.  

He said they discussed the spread of the conflict to Lebanon, which experienced two waves of deadly communication device explosions on its soil on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing over three dozen people and injuring thousands more.  

Israel and Lebanon have exchanged fire over the border zone since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, allowing Israel to unleash a barrage of brutal attacks on Gaza on a daily basis, employing a variety of weaponry, including phosphorus bombs, killing over 41,300 Palestinians and injuring over 95,000 others.  

Israel has intensified its offensive in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks, but the communication device explosions across Lebanon stunned many, with the Beirut government and Hezbollah blaming Israel for the attacks, which killed 37 people, including women and children, and injured around 3,000 others.  

So far, however, both Hezbollah and Israel have refrained from engaging in an open war involving ground attacks.  

Premier Sanchez urged all parties involved to avoid escalating further the conflict.  

Spain is one of the European countries that has decided to officially recognize the State of Palestine as a sign of support for a peace process with Israel.  

Sanchez called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank and withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip to pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state.  

President Abbas, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Spanish prime minister for his unwavering support for the Palestinian people and called for a peace conference in Madrid.  

“We are committed to maintaining the Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as capital,” Abbas said.  

He said he plans to go to Gaza with all Palestinian leaders to demand an end to the war on the strip and has invited Western leaders to join him, including the UN secretary-general.  

Talks between the two leaders took up strengthening bilateral relations and ways to develop them in all fields as well as issues of mutual interest, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa said.

l community to obligate Israel to abide by international law and international legitimacy resolutions, the latest of which was Wednesday’s resolution by the UN General Assembly that called on Israel to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.