“I want to convey all my affection and support of the Spanish Government and society to our UN secretary-general, who I believe is expressing the voice of a large majority of world’s societies that want a humanitarian pause in the conflict,” Sánchez said.

He was referring to the controversy sparked by Israel when calling for Guterres to resign following his comments on the Middle East conflict over Hamas attacks.

Guterres told the UN Security Council that Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack “did not happen in a vacuum.” The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.

Sanchez, who currently holds the presidency of the European Council, made his statements to journalists in Brussels, where he arrived on Wednesday to participate in the tripartite social summit that precedes a meeting of the heads of State and Government of the Community bloc.

The acting president of the Spanish Government considered that Guterres raised the voice of a large majority of world’s societies that wanted an end to the “humanitarian disaster” that caused the conflict.

Sánchez reiterated his support for a humanitarian truce in Gaza that would allow the urgent entry of aid “systematically, permanently, and in proportion to the population’s needs.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen canceled a meeting with Guterres, whom he asked to resign.

The UN secretary-general, in turn, said he was “shocked by the misrepresentations by some” of my comments on Hamas attacks, whose actions he once again condemned.

Sanchez has repeatedly appealed to diplomatic channels to try to de-escalate the conflict and met with the Palestinian and Israeli ambassadors in Madrid separately.

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