Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has defended Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal after the teenager waved a Palestinian flag during the club’s La Liga title celebrations, deepening an already tense political backdrop between Spain and Israel over the war in Gaza.

The 18-year-old was seen holding the flag on Monday during an open-top bus parade through Barcelona as supporters marked the club’s second consecutive Spanish league title. Images from the celebrations quickly circulated online and drew criticism from Israeli officials.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Yamal of “inciting hatred” against Israel in a post published in Spanish on X on Thursday. Katz said he hoped FC Barcelona would publicly distance itself from the gesture and make clear that “there is no place for incitement or support for terrorism.”

Sánchez responded sharply, defending both the player and the broader expression of solidarity with Palestinians that has become increasingly visible in Spain since the start of the Gaza war.

“Those who think that waving the flag of a state is ‘inciting hatred’, they have either lost their minds or they have been blinded by their own disgrace,” Sánchez wrote on X.

The Spanish prime minister added that Yamal had merely expressed solidarity “that millions of Spaniards feel,” calling it “yet another reason to be proud of him.”

Sánchez has been among Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. He has previously described Israel’s conduct in the war as a “genocide,” language that has further strained diplomatic ties between Madrid and Tel Aviv.

The incident involving Yamal unfolded against that wider deterioration in relations. Israel recalled its ambassador after Spain recognised a Palestinian state in 2024, while Spain formally dismissed its own top envoy in Tel Aviv in March.

Inside Barcelona, the reaction was more restrained. Coach Hansi Flick said he “didn’t like” the player’s actions but accepted that it remained Yamal’s personal decision.

Yamal’s public support for the Palestinian cause has also resonated beyond Spain. In Gaza, artists at a refugee camp painted a mural on damaged rubble depicting the young footballer holding a Palestinian flag, according to an AFP journalist in the territory.

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The episode has again placed one of football’s brightest young stars at the centre of a political dispute far removed from the pitch, reflecting how deeply the war in Gaza continues to shape public debate across Europe and beyond.