During a bilateral meeting in Madrid, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez express their differences on Israel's offensive on Gaza City, its latest phase in a campaign to eliminate Hamas that has has so far killed at least 65,141 people, mostly civilians. Sanchez decries the offensive as "profoundly misguided... and aggravating the situation", whereas Merz insists his government is not currently debating recognising Palestinian statehood. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES