ISTANBUL 

Israel imposed entry bans and personal sanctions on two Spanish officials on Monday over their strong criticism of Israeli practices in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

“Israel will not maintain any ties with Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement on the US social media company X.

He said Diaz, a member of the Communist Party of Spain, will also be banned from entering Israel.

Diaz has been critical of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and violations of a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, calling for imposing international sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel over its practices.

“Similar sanctions will also be imposed against Sira Rago, Minister for Youth and Children, from the same party. Entry into Israel will be prohibited, and Israel will not have any contact with it,” Saar said.

Rago also described Israel as a “genocidal state” over its military actions in Gaza and called on the European Union to cut all ties with Israel and impose sanctions.

Saar said further discussions regarding the bans on foreign officials will be conducted with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced nine new measures aimed at stopping the “genocide in Gaza,” including a permanent ban on arms exports to Israel.

In recent months, Israel has banned the entry of many Western officials and activists showing solidarity with Palestinians and criticizing Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.