Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said his country is in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “in the very short term”, Reuters reports.

“Our position with regards to Palestine and the Palestinian people is clear. We are in favour of a Palestinian State. In the very short term, what is truly urgent is for a humanitarian ceasefire to happen,” Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.

The existence of a Palestinian state “will be the best guarantee for peace in the Middle East”, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Israel and the West Bank today.