Sánchez and Merz met at the Moncloa Palace, the Spanish government's presidential headquarters, during the German Chancellor's first visit to Spain since taking office last May. They agreed to denounce the situation in Gaza but disagreed on the stance that should be taken toward Israel.

The German Chancellor has now rejected recognizing Palestine as a state and reiterated that it should be possible to criticize the Israeli government's policies, but that this should not be used to incite hatred against Jews.