Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that Israel's "disproportionate response" in the Gaza war with Hamas risks "destabilising the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world".

Pedro Sanchez already raised the subject of Palestinian statehood during a visit last week to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Sanchez also insisted that the recognition of a Palestinian state, long resisted by Israel and its key allies, is "in Europe's geopolitical interests".

Sanchez had already raised the subject of statehood during a visit last week to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, when he told reporters that Spain could recognise Palestine as a nation by the end of June.

"The international community cannot help the Palestinian state if it does not recognise its existence," Sanchez told lawmakers Wednesday.

Since the start of the war in Gaza more than six months ago, the socialist premier has pushed for Europe to accord such recognition.

His criticism of the Gaze war has also raised tensions with Israel.

Israel launched its invasion of Gaza after the deadly October 7 attacks by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also took more than 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli army says are dead.

Speaking on Wednesday, Sanchez said Israel's "absolutely disproportionate response" had "overturned decades of humanitarian law and threatened to destabilise the Middle East and, as a consequence, the whole world".

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,360 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

- Ongoing criticism -

In February, Sanchez and his Irish counterpart at the time, Leo Varadkar, asked the European Union to "urgently" examine whether Israel was complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza as laid out in a key accord that links rights to trade ties.

And in November, Israel recalled its Madrid envoy for consultations after expressing fury over Sanchez's "outrageous remarks" in an television interview, in which he expressed "serious doubts" over the legality of Israel's actions in Gaza.

His remarks were denounced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "shameful", though the Israeli ambassador Rodica Radian-Gordon returned to Madrid in January.

Israel was also angered by statements in October and November by radical left-wing ministers in Sanchez's coalition government calling for sanctions and an embargo on arms sales to Israel.

While visiting a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan last week, Sanchez hit out at Israel over the drone strike on a humanitarian convoy that killed seven staff members of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) NGO.

He demanded that Israel clarify "the circumstances of this brutal attack".

Like most other global leaders, Sanchez has called for the implementation of the two-state solution, but has also pressed for the world to recognise a Palestinian state, breaking with other Western powers who say this should come only as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.

Last week, Sanchez told reporters travelling with him on his Middle East tour that he hoped Spain would recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of June.

In late March, Sanchez signed a joint statement alongside his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts on the sidelines of an EU summit announcing they were ready "to recognise Palestine" when "the circumstances are right" if that could help bring about a resolution to the conflict.

Starting Thursday, Sanchez is due to visit Poland, Norway and Ireland before welcoming Portugal's leader to again discuss the issue, Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria said Tuesday.

- Potential 'meaningful player' -

In an opinion piece for Madrid's Real Instituto Elcano think tank, former Israeli ambassador Alon Liel said Spain's move to recognise a Palestinian state could "ignite the momentum that might lead to overall European and UN recognition".

If so, "Spain would become a meaningful player towards a new diplomatic momentum for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," wrote Liel, a former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry.

In 2014, the Spanish parliament had called on the right-wing government at the time to recognise a Palestinian state, just a few weeks after Sweden became the first EU member in western Europe to do so.

Sweden's recognition mirrored earlier moves by six other European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

Australia suggests it could recognise Palestinian statehood but Hamas should have no role to play

Australia has joined a handful of nations in hinting it could recognise Palestine's statehood as the international community looks for a two-state solution to end Israel's war.

Foreign minister Penny Wong on Tuesday added there could be "no role" for the militant group "Hamas in a future Palestine state".

She said the international community is discussing Palestinian statehood "as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution".

"A two-state solution is the only hope to break the endless cycle of violence," she said, speaking at the Australian National University.

The proposed two-state solution has long been the basis for international peace efforts to resolve the long Israel-Palestinian conflict, but the process has been stalled for a decade.

Her statement comes amid mounting criticism of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war in Gaza after seven aid workers, including six foreign nations, with the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli air strike in the Strip.

Israel's retaliatory military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 33,000, according to the local health ministry, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.

Hamas on 7 October launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Palestinians aspire to have an independent state in the West Bank and East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War – including Gaza.

Israel on Sunday formalised its opposition to what it called the "unilateral recognition" of Palestinian statehood and said any such agreement must be reached through direct negotiations.

The Palestinian Authority last week formally asked for renewed consideration by the UN Security Council of its 2011 application to become a full member of the world body.

The UN Security Council president this week referred the Palestinian Authority's application to become a full UN member to the admission committee.

Ms Wong said "those who claim recognition is rewarding an enemy" were wrong because Israel's own security depends on a two-state solution. "There is no long-term security for Israel unless it is recognised by the countries of its region."

Spain is among other Western countries pushing for such recognition and is a main proponent of such a move within the EU.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden said Mr Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza has been a “mistake”, in one of his strongest rebukes of the Israeli prime minister’s response to the ongoing conflict so far.

Mr Biden last week told Netanyahu that future US policy towards Israel will be determined by whether its government takes action to protect aid workers and civilians in Gaza, during their first telephone conversation since the deaths of several humanitarian aid workers in the attack on the aid convoy.

The US has traditionally shielded Israel in the UN Security Council and vetoed three draft resolutions on the war in Gaza. It abstained last month when the Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire.