Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that he had instructed officials to expel Spain from a multinational coordination center overseeing the Gaza ceasefire.

The Civil-Military Coordination Center, located in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat, operates under U.S. Central Command. Established in October 2025 as part of President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, the hub coordinates humanitarian aid, logistics and security assistance into Gaza to support ceasefire implementation. Several European countries, including Spain until now, maintained small military presences there.

Netanyahu cited Spain's repeated hostility toward Israel, including recent condemnations of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. "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," he said in a video statement. "Therefore, 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."

He warned that countries waging a "diplomatic war" against Israel would pay an "immediate price," adding, "I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price."

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar echoed the sentiment, stating Spain's government displayed "such a blatant anti-Israeli bias that it has lost any ability to serve as a useful actor in implementing President Trump’s peace plan and in the CMCC center." The U.S. was informed of the decision in advance.

Spain's criticisms intensified after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, which Netanyahu's government maintains fall outside the Gaza ceasefire framework that took effect October 10, 2025. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called the strikes "critical, extremely serious, and a disgrace to the conscience of humanity," urging a halt and support for Lebanon's sovereignty. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez demanded Lebanon's inclusion in any truce, international condemnation and suspension of the EU's association agreement with Israel.

Tensions between Israel and Spain have simmered since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war. Madrid prohibited military equipment sales to Israel early on and enshrined the ban in law last September. Last month, Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador from Israel and this week sent one back to Iran. During the recent U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, Spain denied use of its airspace and bases to American aircraft.

No immediate response from Spain to the expulsion emerged Friday afternoon. The move underscores deepening rifts amid fragile post-ceasefire dynamics in Gaza, where aid flows remain below targets and sporadic violence persists despite the truce.