Poland summons Israeli ambassador over halted Gaza convoy attack proceedings

Warsaw, Poland. Poland’s foreign ministry said it was “very disappointed” and summoned Israel’s ambassador after Israel decided not to pursue criminal proceedings over a 2024 airstrike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza that killed Polish volunteer Damian Sobol.

Polish response

Sobol, from Przemysl in southeastern Poland, was among seven workers for celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen who were killed in the airstrike in central Gaza in April 2024. The attack prompted international outcry.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, Poland’s foreign ministry said it had received information on August 19, 2026, that the proceedings had been discontinued.

The ministry said the Israeli ambassador in Warsaw had been summoned and that Poland had delivered a critical assessment of steps taken so far to establish the causes and circumstances of the tragedy.

It said the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemysl was conducting a parallel investigation and that Poland expected Israel to provide Polish investigators with all necessary explanations and requested materials.

Call for clarification

Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki told public radio PR1 on Friday that Poland considered the decision surprising.

“We believe that the use of force must be proportionate, and that inappropriate use of force should have consequences, so we expect clarification on this matter,” he said.

Australian action

Australia also summoned Israel’s ambassador in Canberra on Thursday after an Australian citizen was killed in the airstrike.

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the Gaza war began in 2023.