Moviment Graffitti on Monday accused Roberta Metsola of having blood on her hands by voicing support for Israel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

In a strongly-worded statement that accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza, the left-wing activist group said the European Parliament president was supporting war criminals.

Metsola last week joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a trip to Israel following attacks by Hamas which killed over 1,200 Israelis on October 7.

She has also offered the country Europe's support, holding a solemn moment outside the European Parliament that made no mention of Palestinian victims in the conflict. 

Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Gaza have since killed around 2,750 in the Palestinian territory. An estimated one million people have been displaced within Gaza, with Israel warning it was going to heavily bomb northern Gaza on Monday.

Metsola and Von der Leyen have been outspoken in their support for Israel and their visit sparked discussion over whether the two top EU officials had overstepped their remit.

At the same time, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has accused Israel of breaching international humanitarian law and the European Commission announced on Saturday that it was tripling humanitarian aid to Gaza to €75 million.

Moviment Graffitti said Metsola and von der Leyen were guilty of "giving their tacit approval to Israel’s already-declared plans of genocidal violence in Gaza" and accused the two of double standards.

Indirectly recalling the EU's support of Ukraine after Russia invaded it, the local NGO said no official European building had been lit up with the colour of the Palestinian flag and no visits of solidarity were paid to Palestine. Nor had any sanctions been imposed on Israel, it said. 

"And while Von Der Leyen had rightly pointed out that starving the people of Ukraine of fuel, heating and power was a war crime, no similar statements were issued against the exact same measures imposed by Israel on the people of Gaza.

"It is these double standards that have led to the current desperate situation among Palestinians and incentivised Israel to refrain from engaging in any process for a just and peaceful solution, as it stands confident in its military might and international backing from powerful countries," Graffitti added.

Graffitti urged Metsola, western countries and European institutions to put immediate pressure on Israel to stop what was happening in Gaza, saying "blood is already on their hands. Now they should at least limit the damage."

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