By Ilayda Cakirtekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Spanish musicians denounced the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza at the ceremony of the 2nd Spanish Academy of Music Awards held on Wednesday night in Madrid.
The chair of the Spanish Academy of Music Sole Gimenez and singer Miguel Rios pointed to the brutal attacks in the enclave, and called for peace during their speeches.
"Pained by barbarism and genocide, I ask that we take our responsibility to achieve peace," Gimenez told the audience.
Numerous other Spanish singers also called for "Free Palestine" throughout the ceremony.
"We cannot forget that outside of here there are many people suffering from a genocide that is taking place just a few kilometers from here," Rios said, according to the Spanish daily El Pais.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.