Netanyahu Accuses Spain of ‘Hostility’ Towards Israel After Blocking It from Gaza Truce Center

 Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP)
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Netanyahu Accuses Spain of ‘Hostility’ Towards Israel After Blocking It from Gaza Truce Center

 Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday accused Spain of waging a diplomatic campaign against Israel after he barred Madrid from taking part in the work of a US-led center created to help stabilize post-war Gaza.

Relations between Israel and Spain have deteriorated significantly since Madrid recognized a Palestinian state in 2024.

Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.

"I have instructed today to remove Spain's representatives from the coordination center in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has chosen repeatedly to stand against Israel," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

"Those who attack the State of Israel instead of confronting terrorist regimes will not be our partners in shaping the region's future."

The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, a US-led initiative, was set up after the Gaza ceasefire took effect on October 10, with the goal of monitoring the truce and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

As part of the CMCC, military personnel and diplomats from several other countries including France and Britain, are present and participate in meetings on security and humanitarian issues in Gaza, devastated by more than two years of war.

Representatives of Spain had also been taking part.

Earlier on Friday, Israel's foreign ministry announced Israel had barred Spain from the center.

"Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us," Netanyahu said.

"I am not prepared to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I will not allow any country to conduct a diplomatic war against us without facing an immediate price," he said, referring to the decision to bar Madrid from the CMCC.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's war on Gaza, which was sparked by Palestinian movement Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

He also opposed the US-Israeli war with Iran that began with strikes on February 28.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sarr has previously accused the Spanish government of "standing with tyrants" by opposing the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

He also accused Spain of being "complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes" after it recognized a Palestinian state

Spain only established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1986 following the death of dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975, who avoided recognizing Israel.



Two Men Re-Arrested for Suspected Spying for Iran in Airbase Scare

A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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Two Men Re-Arrested for Suspected Spying for Iran in Airbase Scare

A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)

British police said on Tuesday they had re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence as part of their investigation into activity at the RAF Fairford air base ‌last month. 

Counter ‌Terrorism Policing said ‌in ⁠a statement that ⁠they had re-arrested a 24-year-old British national, who was initially arrested outside the military base in southwest England in the early hours ⁠of September 27. 

Police said ‌they ‌had also arrested a 25-year-old British-Iranian ‌dual national who had ‌previously been arrested in London. 

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the ‌UK, said in a statement, "we consider it highly likely ⁠that ⁠there is Iranian state involvement." 

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said that the activity at RAF Fairford, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, was likely to have been coordinated in Iran. 


IRGC: 2 Tankers Hit Mines, Set Ablaze South of Hormuz

FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
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IRGC: 2 Tankers Hit Mines, Set Ablaze South of Hormuz

FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa

Two tankers were set ablaze and brought to a halt south of the Strait of ⁠Hormuz after hitting Iranian ⁠mines, the Revolutionary Guards' Navy said ⁠in a statement shared by state media on Tuesday, without saying when the tankers were hit.

The statement also ⁠said a ⁠US drone was downed by Iran on Monday night.

Diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States have stalled over issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was responsible for insecurity in the strait, usually a key transport route for oil and gas but which Iran has sought to blockade during the war launched by the US and Israel in February.

Pakistan has played a key mediating role in the so far unsuccessful attempts to end the war. In June, it helped broker a short-lived memorandum of understanding, which Tehran insists should still form the basis of any peace deal.


Police Charge Driver with Intentionally Causing Serious Injury to Australian Federal Lawmaker

A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
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Police Charge Driver with Intentionally Causing Serious Injury to Australian Federal Lawmaker

A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Police on Tuesday charged a driver with intentionally causing serious injury to an Australian federal lawmaker who is a critical condition after being struck by a car.

A police statement said Brendan Nugent, 43, was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.

Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent politician, was in hospital in a critical but stable condition after being struck by a car outside her office in the city of Wangaratta in Victorian state on Monday, police said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised a barber who helped restrain the driver.

Haines was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV.

The incident shocked Australians as political violence is rare there and politicians have always been accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers and go about their work and personal lives on their own.

The suspect’s father, Rod Nugent, released a statement Tuesday describing Haines as a “deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community.”

“Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” the father said.

Haines’s family released a statement expressing thanks for the “swift assistance of bystanders” as well as health workers and police.

Haines, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and had been reelected twice since, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. She was airlifted later on Monday to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236 kilometers away.