​​​​BRUSSELS

The European Parliament's Left Group accused the European Union on Tuesday of failing to take a clear position on the "unbearable" genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

It urged the bloc to act for peace and humanitarian relief.

Speaking at a news conference in Strasbourg, Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of The Left group, said the EU has remained passive despite the worsening conditions in Gaza.

"The war has been underway for two years now, and the EU has been standing on the sidelines for far too long. We seem to be unable to have a position," he said.

He said the EU must play "a key role in the region" by demanding peace and the protection of civilians, stressing that the bloc has a "duty" to use its influence to stop the conflict.

"It is our duty to call upon the Netanyahu government, not just (to say) that this is a violation of human rights, but we use everything we have in our powers to put a stop to this war," he added.

Schirdewan reiterated the group's demand for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and relieve the suffering of civilians.

Co-chair Manon Aubry strongly criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her "cowardice" and inaction on Gaza. "Ursula von der Leyen needs to go. She needs to go because she's complicit with the genocide in Gaza due to her cowardice, her lack of action."

Aubry rejected US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza as a "neo-colonial plan" that would perpetuate Israeli occupation.

"This plan has no legs. It's shaky. There's no plan for the withdrawal of the Israeli army, and that opens the door to a perpetual occupation of the Gazan territory by Israel," she said.

Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal on Sept. 29 that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and the rebuilding of Gaza.

She warned that the plan gives "carte blanche" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue "the genocide, finish the job" and accused the EU of "silence and complicity" by backing it.

"The EU should be doing the thing that has no choice but to do, which is a weapons embargo, a trade embargo and the respect of the mandate of the International Criminal Court," she added.

The Left Group has filed a motion of censure against von der Leyen, accusing the European Commission of inaction and support for Israel during the two-year genocidal war. The motion will be put to a vote at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on Oct. 9.

Since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed over 67,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in a brutal onslaught in Gaza. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and has led to mass displacement, starvation, and the proliferation of disease.