GENEVA

The Spanish prime minister on Wednesday described Israel as a "genocidal state" and said Spain "does not do business with such a country," marking his strongest language yet on the issue.

During a parliamentary question-and-answer session in Madrid, Pedro Sanchez responded to criticism from Gabriel Rufian, a Catalan member of parliament, who accused the Socialist leader of maintaining trade ties with Israel despite the Gaza war.

"I want to make one thing clear here, Mr. Rufian. We do not do business with a genocidal state, we do not," Sanchez stressed.

"I believe that the other day, from this platform, I explained precisely what we were talking about when some things were mentioned that do not correspond to the truth," he added.

According to the local media report, it was the first time Sanchez publicly used the term "genocidal state" -- a phrase frequently employed by his far-left coalition partner, Sumar.

Sumar leader and Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide and has called for a freeze on trade relations between Spain and Israel.