On Wednesday and Thursday, without any legal grounds and in neutral waters, Israel detained 42 boats and nearly 500 participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) carrying aid to the famine-stricken Gaza Strip.
The arrested list includes four Polish activists who took part in the humanitarian mission: Civic Coalition MP Franciszek Sterczewski; president of the Social and Cultural Association of Polish Palestinians, Omar Faris; president of the Nomada Association Karolina "Nina" Ptak; and a British journalist of Polish descent, Ewa Jasiewicz.
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maciej Wewiór, announced on Friday that the Polish Consul in Israel had met with three detained Polish citizens. They were offered the opportunity to use the expedited procedure to leave Israel and return to Poland, but all refused to sign a declaration of voluntary submission to deportation. "This means that they will now await trial before an Israeli court" - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman informed.
On Saturday, the organizers of the Polish branch of the humanitarian expedition, Global Movement to Gaza Poland, announced that Ptak had begun a hunger strike in an Israeli detention center - "as part of a protest against Israel's illegal actions and in solidarity with imprisoned and tortured Palestinians".
The organization's press release also informed that the detained Polish activists are currently being held in the infamous Ktzi'ot prison in the Negev Desert, "known for the use of torture and sexual violence against detainees" - the statement said.
The deputy head of the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, told the media on Friday that if the detained people voluntarily agree to be deported, they will be able to return to Poland.
"In such a case, we will handle the logistics. However, if they do not agree to voluntarily submit to deportation, they will stand before an Israeli court after 72 hours, and then the matter will be much more difficult" - Deputy Minister Bartoszewski noted. He added that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a crisis management center, the situation is under control, and full consular assistance is ready. "The state is fulfilling its obligations" - he summed up.
In an earlier statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the Polish citizens from the Flotilla detained by the Israeli authorities are safe, and the Polish consul will provide them with assistance "within the limits of the law and the armed conflict realities". The Ministry also reiterated its appeal to refrain from traveling to dangerous areas of the world.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international initiative involving almost 500 people from over 40 countries. Activists estimated they would arrive in the famine-stricken Gaza with the humanitarian aid they carried on Thursday morning. Israeli authorities had previously announced they would not allow the Flotilla to reach its goal.
The flotilla's seizure sparked a wave of demonstrations in European cities, including Rome, Naples, Turin, Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, Geneva, Berlin, The Hague, Istanbul, and Athens. Rallies were also organized in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Karachi. Italian trade unions called a general strike for Friday. A demonstration also took place in Warsaw on Thursday.
In a letter addressed to Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, 40 organizations and over 100 community activists called for the release of Poles detained by Israel - and for a "decisive Polish response to Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza".
Since October 2023 Gaza faces Israel's full-scale war of aggression and indiscriminate bombing, as well as tightening choke on food, water, medicine and other products necessary for survival of the local population. In November 2024 the United Nations Special Committee found Israel's warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war. More findings repeating the accusation and underlining the genocidal character of Israel's transgressions were published in the UN Commission of Inquiry report on September 16th, 2025.
As per the enclave's Health Ministry data - more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel's invasion, with almost 170,000 more wounded. Most of them were civilians, including a large share of women and youth. According to a recent UNICEF publication - more than 50,000 Palestinian children have reportedly been killed or injured in the area since October 2023.
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Source: IAR, PAP