GAZA CITY, Palestine 

Hamas on Friday hailed Spain's decision to deny docking permission at its port to two cargo vessels suspected of transporting weapons to Israel.

In a statement, the Palestinian group said the move is "in line with the honorable position of Spain in rejecting the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip, and to prevent supplying it with weapons to continue the genocide against our Palestinian people."

It urged the UN to issue a resolution that criminalizes and prohibits exporting arms to Israel, and pressurizes it to end the war in the enclave, where it has killed more than 43,000 people since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, the ships that left New York requested to dock in Spain's Algeciras port. A Foreign Ministry spokesman told the daily on Thursday that the ships "will not stop in Spain," without offering further explanations.

The ships allegedly belong to the Danish shipping company Maersk and were US-flagged.

Spanish lawmaker Enrique Santiago said the arrival of the ships would constitute a violation of the country's penal code.

In May, Spain refused permission for an Israel-bound ship carrying arms to call at the southeastern port of Cartagena.

Spain has heavily criticized Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza. Earlier this year, along with Norway and Ireland, it recognized the state of Palestine.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar