FM Sikorski cites lack of accountability for Israeli military’s ‘excessive use of force’ for declining support
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. Photo: AA/file
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and the failure to ensure accountability for the Israeli military’s “excessive use of force” were undermining public support even in nations supportive of Israel.
“Partnership requires mutual respect,” Sikorski said on Thursday on US social media company X.
“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as well as the failure of accountability for [Israel Defence Forces] IDF’s excessive use of force, are undermining public support in even pro-Israel nations,” he added.
His comments came as Poland’s Foreign Ministry expressed “great disappointment” over Israeli military authorities’ decision to discontinue proceedings into the April 1, 2024 shelling of a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy in the Gaza Strip that killed Polish citizen Damian Sobol.
Partnership requires mutual respect. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as well as the failure of accountability for IDF’s excessive use of force are undermining public support in even pro-Israel nations. https://t.co/9H0nhiDE4H
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) August 20, 2026
The ministry said the Israeli ambassador in Warsaw was summoned following the decision, which Poland was informed of on August 19.
Warsaw conveyed a critical assessment of the steps taken so far to establish the circumstances of the incident and said it expected Israel to provide Polish authorities with all necessary explanations and materials requested by Polish investigators.
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The District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl is conducting a parallel investigation into the case, the ministry said.
“The circumstances in which the tragedy occurred in 2024 should be fully clarified,” it said, adding that it did not accept “the perpetrators’ evasion of legal and moral responsibility.”
“The families deserve appropriate redress,” the ministry added.
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Three days ago, on August 19, Israel’s military acknowledged yet another incident of brute force that occurred three months before a Polish volunteer’s assassination by the IDF in 2024.
In January 2024, IDF troops opened fire on a car carrying 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and her family members in Gaza and said it had opened a criminal investigation, though rights groups say such probes rarely lead to convictions.
Hind Rajab’s killing was one of the most high-profile incidents involving civilian deaths during Israel’s military assault in Gaza. She died after being pinned down in a car for hours, begging Palestinian medics by mobile phone to send help, while her aunt, uncle and three cousins already lay dead.
An ambulance was dispatched, but soon after it arrived at the scene, the dispatchers lost contact with both the girl and the responders. Twelve days later, the bodies of the girl, her relatives and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area.
The military previously denied its troops had been in the area near where she was killed. On Wednesday, it said that following a months-long probe by an internal fact-finding mechanism, it found that troops opened fire at her vehicle as it was approaching them.
It said a shell was later fired at a Palestine Red Crescent ambulance that had been dispatched to save her.
