FM says detained Poles expected to return from Israel in coming days
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said that the Polish citizens detained by Israel after taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla should be able to return home in the coming days.
"The Polish consul has just concluded a meeting with our citizens detained in Israel," Sikorski wrote on the X platform on Sunday afternoon. He added that while the detainees had refused to leave voluntarily, they should soon "return to the bosom of their homeland."
The foreign minister also appealed for compliance with ministry warnings against travelling to dangerous regions.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maciej Wewior said earlier that the detainees had declined to sign declarations of voluntary deportation and would now await a hearing before an Israeli court. He added that the Poles were safe, healthy and had access to legal and medical assistance.
Among the activists detained were MP Franciszek Sterczewski, Omar Faris, president of the Polish-Palestinian Social and Cultural Association, and Nina Ptak, head of the Nomada Association. Organisers of the flotilla said that Ptak had gone on hunger strike in protest against "Israel's illegal actions and in solidarity with imprisoned and tortured Palestinians."
On Monday afternoon, the Global Movement to Gaza Poland, responsible for organising the Polish expedition, informed PAP that the Polish participants would be released from prison on Monday and subsequently transported to a third country, likely Greece. They will undergo a medical examination to assess their physical well-being and the conditions in which they were detained.
Later in the day, the Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that 171 detained participants of the humanitarian flotilla, including the Polish citizens, had been deported.
On Monday evening, Sikorski reported that the Poles had landed safely in Athens.
Nasi obywatele bezpiecznie wylądowali w Atenach. Dziękuję naszym dyplomatom i służbom konsularnym za sprawne działanie. pic.twitter.com/ScPDnqOLqh
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) October 6, 2025
The Global Sumud Flotilla, comprising representatives from more than 40 countries, was sailing with humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli authorities had earlier said they would not allow the flotilla to approach the enclave.
Its interception triggered demonstrations in several European cities, including Rome, Paris, Berlin and Athens, as well as in Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Karachi. Demonstrations calling for the engagement of the Polish foreign ministry took place in Warsaw on Thursday and Sunday.
In a letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Sikorski, forty organisations and more than one hundred activists appealed for the release of the detained Poles and for a strong Polish response to the situation in Gaza. (PAP)
mj/ jch/ jos/
