Israel expels Spanish representatives from Gaza humanitarian relief centre

Israel said it has expelled Spanish representatives from the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, tasked with overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video announcement posted on X that the decision came after "Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF".

"Those who attack the State of Israel instead of terrorist regimes will not be our partners regarding the future of the region," he said. 

"I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price." 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.

Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.

1/4 pic.twitter.com/c95fTDNXkW

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 10, 2026

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has long been a critic of Israeli conduct in Gaza, called on the international community to condemn Israel's latest attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday.

"Just today, Netanyahu has launched his fiercest attack against Lebanon since the offensive began. His contempt for life and international law is intolerable," Sanchez wrote in a post on X.

In an earlier statement issued Friday afternoon, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: “The Sanchez government’s anti-Israel bias is so egregious that it has lost all capability to serve as a constructive actor in implementing President Trump’s peace plan and in the CMCC operating under that plan.”

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli move was coordinated with the US.

The CMCC was established in Kiryat Gat, 19km from Israel's border with Gaza, in October 2025 to replace the disgraced Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as part of the ceasefire agreement reached that month.

It is primarily staffed by the US and Israel, alongside military and diplomatic partners from other countries, and has faced controversy over allegations that it is being used for Israeli surveillance.