“We were not allowed to sleep, guards shone lights in our eyes for hours, played music from Israeli propaganda films, unleashed dogs on us, spat on us, and threatened us with weapons,” said Polish MP Franciszek Sterczewski during a press briefing at Warsaw’s Okęcie Airport on the afternoon of October 8, 2025.
The politician and the other activists had been detained and deported by Israeli authorities while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Sterczewski criticized the Polish government’s handling of the situation.
“We are deeply disappointed with the position of the deputy prime minister and foreign minister. While we were trying to draw the world’s attention to this genocide, why did Minister Sikorski downplay the situation?” he asked.
The Global Movement to Gaza Poland has also made its position clear. "The Israeli attack on unarmed civilian boats and the seizure of vessels participating in a humanitarian mission is a blatant violation of internationa law," the group said via social media.
According to the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, the activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla are planning to meet soon with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski to discuss Poland’s stance toward Israel.
Although Poland has recognized the independence of Palestine since 1988 and supports broader international recognition of Polish statehood, the activists called for a more balanced diplomatic approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
MP Sterczewski said he expected Poland to be strong toward the powerful and empathetic toward those in need," adding that Polish diplomacy "should not be blind in one eye."
Polish activists urge balanced diplomacy and draw attention to Palestinian prisoners
Sterczewski and Omar Faris, president of the Polish-Palestinian Socio-Cultural Association, stressed the humanitarian focus of the flotilla.
From left: Polish MP Franciszek Sterczewski, Karolina "Nina" Ptak (president of the Nomada Association), Ewa Jasiewicz (a journalist of Polish origin holding British citizenship), Omar Faris (president of the Polish-Palestinian Socio-Cultural Association). Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Faris noted that Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza has lasted 18 years and emphasized that the flotilla’s mission was peaceful and aimed at helping civilians, providing medical and other essential aid to people living under a long-standing blockade.
Sterczewski highlighted that the flotilla’s detention reflects broader human rights concerns in Israel. He pointed to approximately 11,000 Palestinians, including over 400 children, held in Israeli prisons, many of whom face far worse treatment than the flotilla participants.
From left: Ewa Jasiewicz, Franciszek Sterczewski. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
The Polish participants, including Sterczewski, Faris, Karolina “Nina” Ptak, president of the Nomada Association, and activist-journalist Ewa Jasiewicz, of Polish origin and holding British citizenship, were among more than 40 yachts carrying nearly 480 people intercepted in early October.
After deportation to Athens, they returned to Poland. All Polish members of the flotilla have received a 10-year ban from entering Israel.
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Source: IAR/GW/TVN24/X/@GMTG_Poland