In a speech at the Spanish Congress on October 16, 2024, Ione Belarra harshly accused Israel over the tents housing displaced Palestinians catching fire around Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Belarra, who was Podemos secretary-general in 2024 and had previously served as minister of social rights, said people in the tents had been burned to death and compared the events with Nazi gas chambers.
During a government oversight session at the Congress, Belarra used an image or photograph showing people in Gaza surrounded by flames. She argued that there was no difference between the images from Gaza and the gas chambers of the Nazi era, and strongly condemned Israel’s military operations.
The fire occurred on October 14
The speech came against the backdrop of tents catching fire on October 14, 2024, at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The fire around the hospital, where displaced Palestinians were sheltering, renewed debate over the availability of safe areas for civilians in Gaza and the protection of civilians during the war.
The number of people who died in the fire, its exact cause and the chain of responsibility have not been established by an independent investigation. Belarra’s remarks therefore represent a politician’s assessment and accusation concerning the fire and Israel’s operations in Gaza, rather than an on-the-ground finding establishing all the circumstances of the incident.
Criticism of the Spanish government’s arms policy
Belarra also targeted Pedro Sánchez’s government over its policy toward Israel. Criticizing the continuation of arms sales to Israel and the authorization of military shipments, Belarra renewed calls for an arms embargo, economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
In statements since 2023, Belarra has also strongly criticized Israel’s operations in Gaza and called on Spain and the European Union to impose sanctions. Her 2024 speech at the Congress continued Podemos’s political criticism that the Spanish government had not taken a sufficiently tough stance toward Israel.
The renewed prominence of the content appears to be linked less to the announcement of a new event than to Belarra’s October 16, 2024 speech coming back into focus. The remarks should therefore be viewed not as a current development but as a speech delivered after the fire that occurred around Al-Aqsa Hospital on October 14, 2024.
