Catalan and Spanish leaders welcome Gaza peace plan

The Catalan President Salvador Illa has said he views the news of the launch of a peace plan for Gaza "with hope," following the agreement between Israel and Hamas announced by Donald Trump.

"A window of opportunity for peace is opening," he posted on X on Thursday afternoon, adding that the international community must ensure it is "fair for everyone and leads to a genuine, lasting solution for coexistence between Israel and Palestine."

Illa also renewed his call for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter Gaza.

"From Catalonia, we call for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and offer our cooperation in the assistance and reconstruction of Gaza," he said.

Earlier, the Spanish government welcomed the launch of the Gaza peace plan.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he "hopes this marks the beginning of a just and lasting peace."

"Now it's time to engage in dialogue, assist the civilian population, and look to the future, " he wrote, adding that it must be done "with hope, but also with justice and remembrance, so that the atrocities experienced are never repeated."

In an interview with Spain's public broadcaster RNE, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the start of the peace process "opens a window of hope." He urged all parties to work together "to make it truly concrete – for the release of hostages, the entry of humanitarian aid, and for peace."

Albares emphasized that the goal must be "a peace that is not temporary, but definitive for Israelis, Palestinians, and the entire Middle East," stressing that this requires "a two-state solution."

The leader of the opposition in Spain, Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party (PP), also welcomed the beginning of the Gaza peace plan.

In a message on X, he wrote: "It seems the peace plan is beginning to bear fruit. The ceasefire and the release of hostages are progressing." Now, he added, "the plan must be fulfilled in its entirety. Agreement and peace are possible."

Pact

US President Donald Trump announced early on Thursday morning a pact between Israel and Hamas for the "first phase" of the Gaza peace agreement. In a message on his Truth Social network, Trump said on Thursday that "all of the hostages will be released very soon" and that "Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting peace."

Arms embargo

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Spanish Congress approved the government's decree imposing an arms embargo on Israel, with 178 votes in favor (Socialists, Sumar, ERC, Junts, EAJ-PNV, Bildu, Podemos, BNG, and CC), 169 against (PP, Vox), and one abstention (UPN).

According to Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, the decree represents a "total embargo" that will be enforced "with full rigor," although many of the bill's supporters said it did not go far enough.

The vote passed thanks to a last-minute shift by the four Podemos MPs deputies, who had threatened to block what they called a "fake" embargo. They ultimately voted in favor to avoid giving the ruling Socialists "an excuse to do nothing."