MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday there were signs Russia and Israel had spread disinformation over Spain's migration policy that triggered last month's rush of migrants into Ceuta, but no evidence of Moroccan involvement.
Over 72,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory between July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union's only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc. At least 100 people died in the attempt, according to Ceuta's local authorities.
Sanchez was addressing the political fallout. Spanish opposition parties and some human rights groups have accused Rabat of deliberately allowing the mass crossing, an accusation Morocco has denied.
"When people talk and speculate about the participation of Moroccan authorities, I deny this outright," Sanchez told radio station SER.
Instead, he pointed to foreign disinformation. Videos on Instagram, TikTok and other social media spread misleading claims that migrants reaching Ceuta by sea could remain in Spain, encouraging thousands to attempt the crossing, Spanish authorities have said. Sanchez said research by the EU's diplomatic service EEAS had indicated that Russian and Israeli networks had been behind the spread of disinformation in conjunction with far-right networks.
It is a potent accusation. Spain has been on the frontline of mixed migration from West Africa for years, but the Ceuta episode was different in scale and speed. The claim that organized networks amplified fake legal guarantees taps into a broader EU fear: that migration can be weaponized through information operations.
Moscow has previously been accused by EU institutions of using migration narratives to destabilize European politics; Israel's inclusion is more unusual and likely to draw sharp diplomatic pushback. Sanchez did not provide public evidence on Monday, citing EEAS analysis.
For Spain, the crisis is both humanitarian and political. The images of thousands swimming, of bodies recovered, have reignited debate over border management in Ceuta and Melilla, EU territories on African soil, fenced and heavily policed but deeply intertwined with Moroccan border control.
The opposition continues to demand a tougher line on Rabat, while rights groups demand a more humane reception system. Sanchez is attempting to carve a third narrative: that the surge was not just a border failure or Moroccan blackmail, but an externally fueled disinformation operation exploiting desperation.