Mullooly Confirms He Will Vote to Censure Von Der Leyen
Statement by Ciaran Mullooly MEP
In an update for members of the European parliament delivered this week, UNICEF confirmed that an average of 112 children per day have been admitted for treatment for malnutrition between January and May 2025 in Gazza. (see UNICEF update below)
This comes at a time when the President of the European Commission insisted on telling the world that Israel's action on the world stage can be described as an act of self-defence.
The starvation and murder of women and children will never be accepted under any circumstances in my book as anything that could be equated to self-defence and I deplore the comments of the Commission President which have only served to heighten tensions at a time when leaders in Europe should be moving mountains to make peace.
It is for the reason described above alone – I cannot but support the motion to censure the President of the Commission
At all stages I have condemned the actions of Hamas and Israel in the middle east and appealed to the President of the Commission to speak and act in the interests of peace. It would be nothing short of hypocritical for me to do anything else at this stage but to support the motion of censure today.
UNRWA EU Update - July 2025
“We have lost all the tools needed to work, so we have had to adapt” - Neven, a psychosocial UNRWA worker in Khan Younis.
“Hope and anticipation for a ceasefire deal. It’s so desperately needed and long overdue. People in Gaza are exhausted after nearly 660 days of war, displacement, bombing, siege. A deal is paramount. Starvation must be reversed and the hostages released. Principled, dignified and at scale humanitarian assistance needs to resume uninterrupted and safely under the UN mechanisms, including UNRWA, the largest humanitarian agency” - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General
Situation in Gaza
Since the collapse of the ceasefire, intense Israeli Forces activities escalated, resulting in tens of thousands of civilians reportedly killed and injured, further damage and destruction to civilian infrastructure, and new waves of forced displacement. Attacks on tents and schools hosting displaced people and, on people trying to access food continue to be reported, resulting in mass casualties.
Displacement: 85% of Gaza is under displacement orders or classified by Israeli authorities as “no-go” areas, forcing civilians to flee repeatedly, often on foot and with only what they can carry. Over 714,000 people, or a third of Gaza’s population, have been displaced over the past three months.
Blockade: After 11 weeks of total blockade by Israeli authorities on any supplies, a trickle has entered. What made it through falls far short of people’s massive needs. While letting the UN bring in some nutrition and medical supplies Israeli authorities have banned most other items, including fuel, cooking gas, shelter and hygiene products. The Israeli Authorities have not allowed UNRWA to bring in any aid into Gaza for nearly four months now (since 2 March 2025).
Fuel: For more than four months, no fuel has entered Gaza. Fuel is a matter of life and death. Without it, lifesaving services including health, water and sanitation, telecommunications and protection services are at imminent risk of shutting down: incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified. The delivery by the UN and partners of what little of our lifesaving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will also grind to a halt.
Health & Food security: The health response continues to face severe challenges, including extensive damage to health facilities, obstacles to safe movements and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies and fuel. UNRWA medical services are under-resourced, with over half of medical supplies already out of stock. WFP reports overwhelming desperation for food, with many surviving on one meal or less per day. The latest analysis of the mid-upper arm circumference screenings among children aged six to 59 months indicate an increase in acute malnutrition rates across all governorates between May and mid-June. UNICEF reports that an average of 112 children per day have been admitted for treatment for malnutrition between January and May 2025.
Access: In vast areas across the Gaza Strip, humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities. Between 25 June and 1 July, out of 85 attempts to coordinate planned aid movements across the Gaza Strip, nearly 27 per cent were denied by Israeli authorities, 14 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments, including blocks or delays on the ground potentially resulting in missions being aborted or partially accomplished, 47 per cent were fully facilitated, and 12 per cent were withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons.
Attacks on schools: OCHA reported that at least 10 schools sheltering forcibly displaced people were reportedly hit between 26 June and 1 July. The attacks resulted in the reported killing of 29 people, injuries, and displacement of tens of families. 61 attacks on schools have been reported since 18 March. In addition to putting people’s lives at severe risk, this trend has contributed to the prolonged disruption of education with a direct impact on access to recreational and learning activities and severe short- and long-term effects on children.
On the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF): Since this scheme began, over 500 people have been reported killed and nearly 4,000 injured while struggling to get food. No person, anywhere, should be forced to choose between risking one’s life and feeding one’s family.
UNRWA's Gaza Director Sam Rose spoke about the failures of the GHF, noting that the handful of aid sites that are 'operational' are only open for a matter of minutes, one day a week. "UNRWA has thousands of trucks with supplies waiting to get into Gaza. We have enough food for the entire population for a month - that's 180 million meals."
