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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Israel has criticised Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, after he suggested that Israeli politicians are causing the starvation of mothers and children in Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry said that Tusk’s remarks are “unacceptable” and called on him to “remember the lessons” of the Holocaust because Hamas are “the new Nazis”.
Unfortunately, Poland Prime Minister @donaldtusk is linking his timely condemnation of Hamas with an unacceptable reference to politicians, accompanied by a reminder of the horrible days of World War II. The Prime Minister of Poland should remember the lesson of “Never Again.”… pic.twitter.com/43atQZdT9Z
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) August 4, 2025
The criticism came in response to a social media post by Tusk on Sunday, in which he said that, while “Poland was, is and will be on Israel’s side in its confrontation with Islamic terrorism”, it would “never [be] on the side of politicians whose actions lead to hunger and the death of mothers and children”.
“This must be obvious to nations that together went through the hell of World War Two,” added the Polish prime minister.
Sharing a screenshot of Tusk’s post, the Israeli foreign ministry wrote that Tusk was “unfortunately linking his timely condemnation of Hamas with an unacceptable reference to politicians, accompanied by a reminder of the horrible days of World War II”.
“The Prime Minister of Poland should remember the lesson of ‘Never Again’,” they continued. “Never Again, Prime Minister Tusk, applies to our era’s new Nazis and their collaborators, Hamas. Israel acts within international law. When Poland is threatened, you don’t take risks either.”
Tusk’s remarks came shortly after his deputy prime minister, Radosław Sikorski, called on Israel to “respect international humanitarian law” in its “occupation” of Gaza and the West Bank, saying that “no one has the right to cause children to starve”.
Sikorski, who also serves as foreign minister, made clear his condemnation of Hamas and its brutal attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, but said that “Israel has used excessive force” in its response and that “the number of victims is simply too high”.
Israel has not commented on Sikorski’s remarks. But they did receive a response from Thomas Rose, the incoming US ambassador to Poland.
He told Sikorski that Israel is “acting well within the bounds of international law” and has “provided more humanitarian aid to its mortal enemy than any combatant in the history of warfare”.
"No one has the right to cause children to starve," Poland's foreign minister has told Israel.
"Even when Israel acts in self defense, it is still not exempt from respecting international humanitarian law…[as] the state occupying Gaza and the West Bank" https://t.co/CTGgdxnLaH
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 3, 2025
Last week, the Polish foreign ministry spokesman, Paweł Wroński, declared that Poland, which has recognised Palestinian statehood for almost 40 years, can “serve as an example” for Western countries currently thinking of doing the same. He also announced an increase in Polish aid for Palestinians.
Meanwhile, on Monday this week, Poland’s digital affairs ministry said that it was powerless to take action against YouTube videos being produced and promoted by Israel accusing the United Nations of preventing the distribution of aid in Gaza.
The material is being presented in various languages, including Polish, but, when asked about it by the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the digital affairs ministry said that it does not have the tools to interfere with material published on YouTube.
Wroński said the foreign ministry also cannot take action but reiterated their position on the question of aid: “This kind of situation, when children are starving, is unacceptable and Israel, as the country that occupies these lands, has an obligation to also provide food for the population.”
Poland says it can “serve as an example” for Western countries now considering recognising Palestinian statehood, given that it has itself done so for almost four decades.
It has also announced an increase in aid for Palestinians https://t.co/wIv9pSOA02
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 31, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Pixabay (under public domain)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. She is a member of the European Press Prize’s preparatory committee. She was 2022 Fellow at the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program at City University of New York. In 2024, she graduated from the Advanced Leadership Programme for Top Talents at the Center for Leadership. She has previously contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy and Duży Format.
