Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares affirmed in a press statement that the meeting aims to "prevent Gaza from becoming a mass grave," noting that the "Madrid Group" comprises European, Arab, and Islamic countries seeking to coordinate diplomatic efforts to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Albares explained that his country, through this meeting, seeks to garner diplomatic support in preparation for an upcoming meeting at the United Nations next month, which will focus on consolidating and implementing the two-state solution as a path to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Türkiye is scheduled to participate in the upcoming meeting, to be held in the Spanish capital, Madrid, as part of efforts to intensify diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza.
It is noteworthy that the previous meeting of the Madrid Group was held in September 2024, with the participation of Spain, Turkey, Norway, Slovenia, Ireland, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Bahrain.
These actions come as Israel continues to impose a stifling blockade on the Gaza Strip since March 2, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, exacerbating the famine crisis and causing numerous casualties.
In recent days, the Israeli occupation army has expanded its ground operations in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, as part of a comprehensive war launched on October 7, 2023, involving bombing, destruction, starvation, and displacement, in defiance of international warnings and International Court of Justice resolutions calling for an end to the war.
These operations, which received full US support, resulted in the deaths and injuries of more than 175,000 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children, in addition to more than 11,000 missing persons and hundreds of thousands displaced.
