On 1 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced an open call for proposals for Humanitarian Aid 2025 for Middle East countries, addressed to Polish NGOs interested in carrying out projects in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. In a follow-up to that initiative, Poland’s measures to support communities affected by the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East have been summarised below.

Poland recognises Israel’s right to self-defence and development in a safe environment within internationally recognised borders. However, Poland does not accept the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip killed by the Israeli forces in their declared pursuit to deprive Hamas of its combat and organisational capacities. Israel is an occupying power, and as such it has the duty to protect the civilian population. It has been failing in that duty.

Poland’s message is simple: Poland does not consent, and never will consent, to using restrictions on access to humanitarian aid for people affected by an armed conflict to the benefit of military or political gains; to weaponising hunger against civilians; and to planning to set up concentration camps in order to solve the conflict.

Poland has recognised the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and its aspirations to have an independent state since 1988. In its current phase, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has been causing unimaginable humanitarian disaster and civilian suffering. Poland absolutely condemns the act of terror perpetrated by Hamas and consistently calls for all the hostages still in captivity to be released immediately.

Poland has been taking visible measures within international organisations, supporting the UN Resolution of 12 December 2023 on the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations. In 2023 and 2024 alone, Poland provided Palestine with aid worth more than PLN 50 million altogether, delivered mostly through UN agencies (UNRWA, WFP, UNMAS, UNICEF, and UNESCO), Polish development cooperation projects, and two rounds of medical aid for Egyptian hospitals providing care to Gaza patients. Polish experts took part in a WHO mission to Egypt concerning medical evacuations and water treatment. Polish development projects continue, as do trainings for Palestinian diplomats in Poland. Poland sponsored the organisation of a conference of Palestinian ambassadors.

Israel’s doings in the Gaza Strip cannot be considered in separation from its policy towards the West Bank and actions in Syria and Lebanon. Pursued with support from the top political and military executives, illegal operations by fundamentalist Jewish settlers lead to a de facto annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories as a whole, ultimately making it impossible to end the Israeli–Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution. Military actions in Syria and Lebanon run a risk of sudden destabilisation in the two countries, jeopardising the interests of regional and European security.

In order to prevent the ongoing humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip from growing, Poland finds it necessary for UNRWA to immediately resume its activity on the occupied territories. Poland continues to support UNRWA (contributing more than PLN 4 million this year alone) and endorses it in political terms, which is crucial in the current situation. On 21 July 2025, 30 foreign ministers, including Minister Radosław Sikorski, signed a joint statement on Gaza, highlighting the gravity of the situation on the ground and calling on Israel to take immediate preventive measures. Responding to international pressure, Israel temporarily reopened humanitarian corridors in the Gaza Strip and agreed to airdrops with aid.