Poland: Criminal Complaint Filed Against Senior Israeli Officials for Starvation & Obstruction of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

May 24, 2026 —Polish-Palestinian survivors, Amjad Agha and Ahmed Elsaftawy, in partnership with the Hind Rajab Foundation, the Polish-Palestinian Justice Initiative KAKTUS, and two members of the Polish delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission, have filed a criminal complaint before the Wrocław District Prosecutor’s Office in Poland against senior Israeli political and military officials for alleged genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and public incitement to international crimes. 

The complaint names, among others, Yoav Gallant, Israel Katz, Eli Cohen, Herzi Halevi, Eyal Zamir, David Saar Salama, Ghassan Alian, and Yoram Halevi. It alleges that these officials, acting after 7 October 2023, created and maintained a humanitarian crisis designed to physically destroy the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.

A Premeditated and Coordinated Humanitarian Crisis

At the heart of the complaint is the allegation that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza was not a byproduct of war, but a calculated strategy. Since October 2023, Israel has put in place a premeditated and coordinated campaign against the civilian population of Gaza, characterized by:

• the imposition of siege conditions;
• the systematic targeting of humanitarian personnel and infrastructure;
• attacks on humanitarian convoys;
• the deliberate destruction of vital services and infrastructure, including medical facilities, agricultural resources, and food production capacities; and
• administrative obstruction and control of humanitarian aid.

These measures have resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with the civilian population facing acute shortages, high risk of disease, malnutrition and famine, and loss of life.

The complaint centres on two Polish citizens of Palestinian origin, Amjad Agha and Ahmed Elsaftawy, and their families in Gaza. It details how the Israeli siege, bombardment, destruction of civilian infrastructure, collapse of medical services, starvation policy, and repeated forced displacement directly harmed them and their relatives.

• Amjad Agha, a food chemistry and management graduate from Łodź University of Technology, lost his home and 231 family members during the war. He, his wife, and his young children survived the bombing of their home, months in a tent, enduring starvation and the constant threat of death. “Israel has buried in Gaza not only our homes, schools, hospitals and universities. It has also buried the language with which we could describe our loss. That is why I am filing this notification — so that the law can name what our words can no longer bear,” said Amjad Agha.
• Ahmed Elsaftawy, a distinguished plastic surgeon, watched his family suffer under a blockade of food and medicine, losing 34 relatives. “This notification is not a political gesture, but an attempt to demand truth and accountability. My sister died in Gaza as a result of malnutrition and catastrophic humanitarian conditions. In the face of such crimes, silence cannot be the answer,” said Ahmed Elsaftawy. 

The complaint also includes the obstruction of humanitarian aid, including attacks on and interception of civilian humanitarian missions, with specific attention to the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla. The flotilla included 42 vessels, 16 of them flying the Polish flag, and carried more than 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including infant formula, nappies, food, and medicines. Polish citizens Karolina Ptak and Ewa Jasiewicz participated in the mission. The complainants argue that Israel’s targeting of humanitarian aid operations represents a deliberate component of its genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Crimes under International and Polish Law

The complaint is brought under Polish criminal law, relying in particular on Article 110 of the Polish Criminal Code, which permits Polish jurisdiction over foreign nationals who commit offences abroad to the detriment of Polish citizens. Because Amjad Agha and Ahmed Elsaftawy are Polish citizens, the complainants argue that Poland has jurisdiction and a duty to act.

The filing argues that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not the result of incidental military action, but rather a coordinated strategy that meets the threshold of genocide. It also amounts to war crimes, namely the use of prohibited methods of warfare, including starvation as a weapon of war, crimes against humanity and the crime of obstructing humanitarian aid to Polish citizens and families of Polish citizens.

Natacha Bracq, Head of Litigation at the Hind Rajab Foundation, stated: 

“For too long, the world has watched in silence as the machinery of starvation and destruction has been deployed against the people of Gaza. This complaint by Polish survivors is a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of extraterritorial jurisdiction. It proves that geography and citizenship cannot shield those who commit the worst crimes against humanity. We stand with Amjad, Ahmed, and all survivors in this fight for justice, demanding that the Polish authorities fulfill their duty to prosecute genocide.”

The complaint argues that the named officials cannot rely on functional immunity for alleged international crimes. It refers to the Nuremberg principles, international jurisprudence, Israeli case law in the Eichmann proceedings, and Polish post-war jurisprudence rejecting immunity for core international crimes.

A Test for Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in Poland

“This case is a test for the Polish justice system,” emphasizes the KAKTUS Initiative. “Will the law be applied equally to everyone, or selectively, depending on origin? Poland has an obligation to conduct proceedings concerning the most serious crimes, especially when its citizens are among the victims. Since the Nuremberg trials, international law has been clear: mass crimes against civilian populations are not shielded by official positions or functions held.”

This is one of the few cases in Europe concerning allegations of genocide in Gaza in which the complainant and victim is an EU citizen who survived the Gaza Strip.

States have an obligation to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law, regardless of where they were committed. In the view of the notifying parties, Polish law enforcement authorities are required to undertake investigative steps where the victims also include citizens of the Republic of Poland.

Dyab Abou Jahjah, General Director of the Hind Rajab Foundation, stated:

“Poland knows what it means when law is asked to stand against annihilation. This case is not only about Gaza; it is about whether Europe still recognises the human being beneath the rubble, the child behind the statistic, the family behind the word ‘collateral.’ Two Polish citizens and their families were subjected to siege, hunger, displacement, and the destruction of the basic conditions of life. If Poland treats this as distant suffering, it abandons not only Palestinians, but its own legal and historical conscience. Impunity is not an abstraction. It is a culture. It teaches the powerful that some lives can be erased without consequence. Poland now has the opportunity to break with that culture and stand on the side of justice.”

This filing forms part of the Hind Rajab Foundation’s wider legal campaign to end impunity for international crimes committed against Palestinians. HRF has filed more than 90 complaints across 30 jurisdictions, targeting individuals alleged to have participated in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, forced displacement, starvation, and attacks on civilians.

The case in Poland is not symbolic. It concerns Polish citizens, Polish jurisdiction, and Poland’s duty under domestic and international law. Where the victims are Polish and the alleged crimes include genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, inaction is not neutrality. It is a failure to enforce the law.