IDF soldiers manning a Gaza checkpoint fired warning shots to turn back a car carrying a senior Spanish diplomat, Spanish news reports and Israeli officials said Friday. The incident occurred Thursday morning when soldiers at the Abu Holi checkpoint fired shots above a car carrying Alberto Ucelay, the Spanish consul general in Jerusalem, an IDF official said on condition of anonymity. Ucelay had gone to Gaza to pick up 15 Palestinian children due to travel to Barcelona, via Cairo for a cultural festival, the Spanish national news agency Efe said, citing Foreign Ministry officials. Efe quoted ministry officials as saying that Ucelay had given several days notice of his trip to Gaza, as per Israeli regulations. The ministry described the incident as "serious" and questioned the Israeli charges d'affaires in Madrid over the matter Friday, Efe said. The IDF official, however, said the troops tried to hail Ucelay's car with a loudspeaker as it crossed the checkpoint without stopping and then opened fire when the warning was ignored. The military official said he was not aware of any children being in Ucelay's car.
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