Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez thanks Gaza girl, artists who painted his portrait on bombed wall

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has responded to a touching tribute from Gaza after a young Palestinian girl and a group of local artists painted his portrait on a damaged wall amid the ongoing conflict.

The tribute came after a video by a young girl identified as Layan showed the artwork surrounded by bombed-out buildings, thanking Spain for its continued diplomatic support for Palestine.

In a video shared online, Sánchez praised the artists and expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza.

"In the midst of so much pain, you found a moment to send us your kindness. So, to Layan, to all the boys and girls of Gaza, and to your families, I want to say something very simple: the whole of Spanish society hears you, sees you, cares about you, and does not forget you," Sánchez said in an Instagram post.

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The Spanish leader ended his message with a hopeful wish that Gaza's children would one day be able to paint safely in classrooms and grow up in peace.

The gesture comes months after Spanish football star Lamine Yamal displayed a Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona's La Liga title parade in May 2026.

Yamal accepted the flag from a fan aboard the club's open-top victory bus after Barcelona clinched their 29th league title.

The moment, which he later shared on Instagram, drew praise from pro-Palestinian supporters and prompted Sánchez to defend the teenager after criticism from Israeli officials.

However, viral images claiming Yamal held a Palestinian flag after Spain's 1-0 FIFA World Cup final victory over Argentina in July 2026 have been debunked as AI-generated fakes.

AFP fact-checkers found Google SynthID watermarks embedded in the images, confirming they were created using artificial intelligence.

Authentic photographs from the celebrations show Yamal wearing Spain's tournament kit and a "Campeones" jersey, with no Palestinian flag present.