Spain has banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons or military-grade fuel to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace due to Israel’s nearly two-year-long military offensive in Gaza.

“There is a difference between defending your country and bombing hospitals or starving innocent children,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez stated in a social media post yesterday. 

Late last month, Turkish authorities barred Israeli-linked vessels from entering the country’s ports. The regulation from Ankara also bars Turkish-flagged vessels from calling at Israeli ports and prohibits ships carrying military cargo destined for Israel from entering Turkish harbours. 

This year, there have been protests at many ports across the world over shipments of arms to Israel, with many dockworkers refusing to work on specific ships heading there.