People walk towards the border with Morocco leaving Spain, amid mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Diplomatic tensions between Israel and Spain escalated on Friday after Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon accused Madrid of exposing a double standard by deploying military forces to its North African enclave of Ceuta to curb a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Pointing to Madrid’s emergency response, the Israeli diplomat argued that Spain, which “never misses an opportunity to lecture Israel,” should first answer for its own policies before criticizing others.

“Maybe before it continues lecturing us, it’s time it explained to the world why it still maintains colonial enclaves in Africa,” Danon wrote in a post on X, referring to the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, located on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast.

Spain, which never misses an opportunity to lecture Israel, has declared a state of emergency in Ceuta following the crisis over its immigration policy.

Maybe before it continues lecturing us, it’s time it explained to the world why it still maintains colonial enclaves in…

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) July 30, 2026

However, in an apparent effort to prevent the dispute from escalating further, Israel’s acting ambassador to Spain, Dana Erlich, distanced the Israeli government from Danon’s remarks, stressing that they did not reflect Jerusalem’s official position.

“The comment made by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN on the issue does not represent the position of the State of Israel,” the Israeli diplomat wrote in a post on X.

Erlich assured that Israel was closely monitoring developments in Ceuta, stressing the importance of addressing the situation through cooperation and dialogue.

Siguiendo de cerca la situación en Ceuta.

El comentario realizado por el embajador de Israel en la ONU sobre el tema no representa la posición del Estado de Israel.

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Closely monitoring the situation in Ceuta.

The comment made by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN on the issue…

— Dana Erlich 🇮🇱 (@DanaErlich) July 31, 2026

The Spanish government deployed military units to Ceuta on Thursday after an unprecedented surge of migrants crossed into the North African enclave from Morocco by land and sea, with an estimated 49,000 people entering within less than 24 hours in one of Europe’s largest single-day irregular border crossings on record.

Widely circulated on social media, video footage showed migrants swimming around border barriers and using inner tubes to reach Ceuta, while others forced their way through land crossings in a dramatic surge that overwhelmed local authorities.

So far, nine bodies have been recovered off the coast of Ceuta, adding to at least 60 migrants reported to have died attempting the dangerous crossing in recent months, underscoring the growing human toll of the crisis.

Ceuta’s regional president Juan Jesús Vivas described the unfolding crisis as “a total humanitarian and social emergency,” warning of the scale of the situation and calling on Madrid to declare a national state of emergency.

As the situation intensified, the Spanish government moved to deploy military units, bolster naval and air assets, and send diving teams to patrol the coastline.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned what he described as “an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity,” vowing that his government would respond with the full resources of the state to restore order and protect the enclave.

“All of Spain stands with the people of Ceuta. I want to thank the city’s government for the cooperation we have always maintained,” Sánchez said in a televised address. “We will deploy every resource available to the state to guarantee security and peaceful coexistence, and our commitment to the future of the Autonomous City of Ceuta remains absolute and unwavering.”

Lo que ha sucedido es un ataque a la integridad territorial de España y merece nuestra más rotunda y enérgica condena.

Toda España está con la ciudadanía de Ceuta. El Gobierno de España está con la Ciudad Autónoma.

Gracias por la cooperación que siempre hemos mantenido con el… pic.twitter.com/ZqKdUdu7Oy

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 31, 2026

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities located on Morocco’s northern Mediterranean coast and represent the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. Morocco rejects Spanish sovereignty over both territories, considering them occupied Moroccan land, while Spain maintains they are an integral part of the country.