The ads, promoted on platforms including YouTube in multiple languages, feature claims that the United Nations has refused to distribute food in Gaza despite hundreds of trucks entering the enclave. One video, released by Israel’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Warsaw, shows idle trucks alongside piles of goods with the caption: “This is deliberate sabotage by the UN. UN – distribute this aid now.”
Poland’s foreign ministry said its director of strategic communication and countering international disinformation had raised the issue in talks with Israel’s ambassador in Warsaw. “We are coordinating our response to this advertisement with other European countries where it is being promoted,” the ministry told state news agency PAP.
Former U.S. humanitarian envoy to Gaza David Satterfield told the Times of Israel last month that Israel’s accusations against the UN were false, saying aid distribution was hampered by conditions imposed by Israel that made it unsafe to deliver food and medicine. The UN has said deliveries remain blocked by administrative barriers, damaged infrastructure and security risks for aid workers.
Poland’s foreign ministry stressed that it recognises Israel’s right to defend itself within internationally recognised borders, but “does not accept the number of casualties in Gaza” caused by Israeli forces in their stated campaign to dismantle Hamas. It added that, as an occupying power, Israel is obliged to protect civilians – a duty it said Israel is failing to fulfil.
The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive, according to Gaza health authorities.
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Source: PAP