Spain and Turkey call on the international community to act to stop the war in Gaza

Spain and Turkey called on the international community Thursday to stop “looking the other way” and press for the end of Israel's attack on Gaza to crush Hamas, following a bilateral summit focused on strengthening economic cooperation between the Mediterranean countries.

“For too long the international community has looked the other way (...), it has thought that without resolving this conflict we could live in peace and stability. What has happened during these eight months has opened the eyes of the world,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said at a news conference after the eighth high-level meeting between the governments of Madrid and Ankara.

Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state on May 28 in a coordinated effort, while Turkey first recognized a Palestinian state in 1988. Sánchez urged other European and Western countries to follow in their footsteps “because it is the only solution that can guarantee peace and security in the Middle East."

On Monday, the U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Neither Hamas nor Israel has fully embraced the cease-fire proposal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the U.S. and the other Security Council members to lobby Israel.

“The Security Council members, especially the United States, should stand behind this decision and put the necessary pressure on Israel to ensure an immediate cease-fire,” Erdogan said.

The war in Gaza has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not give the breakdown of civilians and fighters. Israel launched