Polish Palestinians, backed by the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation, the Polish-Palestinian Initiative KAKTUS, and members of the humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla, are preparing to file what supporters describe as a historic criminal complaint in Poland accusing senior Israeli officials of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The complaint is scheduled to be submitted on May 25, 2026, to the District Prosecutor’s Office in the Polish city of Wrocław. According to the filing, the complainants argue that the devastation in Gaza was not merely a consequence of war but part of a deliberate and coordinated strategy aimed at destroying the Palestinian civilian population through siege, starvation, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
At the centre of the case are the testimonies of two Polish Palestinians who survived the war in Gaza.
One of them, Amjad Agha, a graduate of the Łódź University of Technology, says he lost 231 members of his extended family during the conflict. He and his immediate family survived the bombing of their home before enduring months displaced in tents under conditions of hunger and constant bombardment. In a statement accompanying the complaint, Agha said the destruction in Gaza had gone beyond buildings and infrastructure.
“Israel has buried in Gaza not only our homes, schools, hospitals and universities,” he said. “It has also buried the language with which we could describe our loss.”
The second complainant, plastic surgeon Ahmed Elsaftawy, says 34 members of his family died during the conflict, including a sister whom he says succumbed to malnutrition amid collapsing humanitarian conditions and shortages of food and medicine. Elsaftawy described the legal action as an attempt to pursue accountability rather than a political campaign.
The complaint alleges that since October 2023, Israeli authorities implemented a systematic campaign targeting Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and humanitarian lifelines. According to the filing, this included siege measures, attacks on aid convoys and humanitarian personnel, destruction of agricultural resources and medical facilities, and bureaucratic obstruction of relief efforts. The complainants argue that these policies collectively created conditions intended to physically destroy part of the Palestinian population in Gaza.
The legal filing also references the targeting and obstruction of humanitarian missions such as the Global Sumud Flotilla, whose members attempted to deliver aid to Gaza. Two members of the Polish delegation, Nina Ptak and Ewa Jasiewicz, are among those supporting the complaint after reportedly being detained during the mission.
The case invokes provisions of the Polish Criminal Code relating to genocide, crimes against humanity, and the use of prohibited methods of warfare, including starvation as a weapon. Supporters say the complaint is also intended to test Poland’s willingness to apply the principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction in cases involving alleged international crimes committed abroad.
“This case is a test for the Polish justice system,” the KAKTUS Initiative said in a statement accompanying the filing. “Will the law be applied equally to everyone, or selectively, depending on origin?”
The complaint names several senior Israeli military and political figures as accused parties, including former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, current Defence Minister Israel Katz, former Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi, and current Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, among others.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, which has supported a number of legal initiatives related to Gaza in European jurisdictions, said the complaint demonstrates that official position should not shield individuals from accountability for alleged mass crimes.
“This complaint by Polish survivors is a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of extraterritorial jurisdiction,” said Natacha Bracq, the organisation’s head of litigation. “It proves that geography and citizenship cannot shield those who commit the worst crimes against humanity.”
A press conference presenting survivor testimony, legal arguments, and evidence related to the complaint is expected to take place outside the courthouse immediately after the filing in Wrocław.
