The first of almost 30 Polish citizens who have been stuck in Gaza since the beginning of the current conflict have now managed to leave the territory. Among those who remain trapped is a Polish-Israeli hostage taken by Hamas during its attack on 7 October.
This morning, both Poland’s foreign ministry and Jacek Siewiera, the head of President Andrzej Duda’s National Security Bureau, announced that the first Polish nationals had entered Egypt from Gaza via the Rafah crossing. They did not indicate how many had been able to leave.
Siewiera noted that Polish military planes were ready to now transport the Polish nationals back to Poland. On Friday, President Andrzej Duda issued an order for up to 150 military personnel and three aircraft to carry out the repatriation from Egypt of Poles who had managed to get out of Gaza.
Pierwsi obywatele RP przebywający w Strefie Gazy przekroczyli przejście graniczne w Rafah i są po egipskiej stronie. Proces się rozpoczął. Siły Powietrzne zgodnie z postanowieniem @prezydentpl są w gotowości do realizacji transportu. pic.twitter.com/cvSpXfmJ4U
— Jacek Siewiera (@JacekSiewiera) November 12, 2023
Siewiera is currently in Israel, where he has held discussions with the government about Poles trapped in Gaza, including Polish-born Holocaust historian Alex Danzig, who is among Hamas’s hostages.
“There are over 25 [Polish] people who have been in the territory of Gaza since the terrorist attack, including one, Alexander Danzig, among the hostages,” said Siewiera on Saturday. “Both issues were raised during meetings here in Israel.”
He added that, while the Polish side “recognised Israel’s right to defend itself”, it had also “emphasised the need to comply with international law and spare the lives of civilians”. A proposal from Poland to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza had been accepted by Israel, said Siewiera.
National Security Adviser and NSC Director Tzachi Hanegbi met with Polish National Security Bureau Head Jacek Siewiera, and emphasized that all European countries needed to apply relentless pressure to bring about the immediate release of the hostages, including Polish nationals. pic.twitter.com/OOTXHH7pC8
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 11, 2023
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Main image credit: Wafa/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY-SA 3.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
