Poland Condemns Israel Over Closed Gaza Strike Probe, Demands Answers on Aid Worker’s Death
Poland has strongly condemned Israel’s decision to close criminal proceedings into the 2024 Israeli airstrike in Gaza that killed Polish humanitarian worker Damian Sobol, describing the move as a source of “great disappointment.”
Poland’s Foreign Ministry said it received notification on August 19, 2026, that Israeli authorities had discontinued the proceedings into the April 1, 2024, strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in central Gaza. The attack killed seven aid workers, including Sobol, a volunteer from Przemyśl in southeastern Poland.
Following the decision, Warsaw summoned Israel’s ambassador to Poland, where officials delivered a critical assessment of Israel’s handling of the case and raised concerns over efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Israeli military has said its review found serious operational failures, including the mistaken identification of a security guard travelling with the aid convoy as a Hamas militant. However, Israeli military prosecutors concluded that the circumstances did not provide sufficient grounds to launch criminal proceedings.
Poland, however, said the matter is far from closed.
The Foreign Ministry disclosed that a separate investigation remains ongoing at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl, and demanded that Israel provide Polish investigators with the explanations, evidence and other materials requested as part of their inquiry.
The April 2024 strike triggered widespread international outrage because the clearly marked humanitarian convoy was carrying out an aid mission. World Central Kitchen has rejected the Israeli military’s account and strongly criticised the decision not to pursue criminal investigations, arguing that its workers were known to be unarmed and that the vehicles were visibly marked as humanitarian vehicles.
Poland’s response also comes amid similar criticism from other countries whose citizens were among those killed. Australia and Canada have separately condemned Israel’s decision, with Australia summoning the Israeli ambassador after the closure of the proceedings.
For Warsaw, the issue now moves to its own investigation, with Polish authorities making clear that they expect full cooperation from Israel and access to the information needed to establish what happened to Sobol and the other aid workers.
