Poland summons Israel's ambassador over closed aid-worker inquiry
Warsaw says prosecutors in Przemysl are pursuing a case of their own and have asked Israel to hand over evidence. Australia called in Israel's ambassador on Thursday, and Canada called the closure unacceptable.
Poland has called in Israel's ambassador after Israeli authorities ended their proceedings over the April 2024 strikes on a World Central Kitchen convoy in central Gaza, in which seven of the charity's staff were killed. One of the seven, Damian Sobol, was a volunteer from the Polish city of Przemysl.
The Polish foreign ministry said it was "very disappointed" to learn that the proceedings had been discontinued, and that Warsaw had already told Israel what it thought of the way the file had been dealt with. A separate investigation is under way in Przemysl, where prosecutors have asked the Israeli side to hand over evidence.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki said the closure had not been expected. "We consider this a surprising decision," he told public radio on Friday, and said that force has to be kept proportionate and that its improper use "should have consequences". Poland expects to be told more, he added.
Australia summoned Israel's ambassador in Canberra on Thursday. Lalzawmi Frankcom, an Australian who worked for the charity, was among those killed in the same attack.
Canada's foreign minister, Anita Anand, said the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation was unacceptable, and pointed out that serious failures in the conduct of the strike had already been identified. Ottawa expects international humanitarian law to be observed, she said, and will keep pressing for a full account of what happened and for justice for the seven workers and their families. Jacob Flickinger, a Canadian, was one of the dead.
What keeps the case alive in three capitals is that the convoy did everything aid agencies are told to do. Its vehicles carried the organisation's markings and its route had been cleared with the Israeli military in advance, and it was struck three times in succession all the same. With the Israeli file shut, the only criminal investigation still open is the Polish one — and it is asking for evidence from the party whose conduct it is examining.