After Polish PM accuses Israel of causing ‘deaths of mothers and children in Gaza’, foreign ministry summons ambassador

Israeli's Foreign Ministry summoned the Polish ambassador for a reprimand after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Israeli leaders of causing “the deaths of mothers and children” in Gaza.

Tusk had posted a note in Polish to 𝕏, saying that Poland “has been, is, and will always be on Israel’s side in its confrontation with Islamic terrorism, but never on the side of politicians whose actions lead to hunger and the deaths of mothers and children.” 

“This must be obvious to the nations that shared the hell of World War II,” he wrote. 

Tusk's comment was posted after the release of the Hamas propaganda video depicting hostage Evyatar David in a severely malnourished condition reminiscent of Holocaust survivors. 

On Tuesday, Polish Ambassador to Israel Maciej Hunia was summoned for a reprimand at the Foreign Ministry on the instruction of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. 

According to the official statement from the Foreign Ministry, as part of the Polish statements, Israel was accused of using hunger as a weapon against Gazan civilians, while comparing their treatment to the treatment of Jews in the Holocaust, a move that generated outrage in Israel. 

“Unfortunately, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is linking his timely condemnation of Hamas with an unacceptable reference to politicians, accompanied by a reminder of the horrible days of World War II,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister of Poland should remember the lesson of ‘Never Again.’” 

Unfortunately, Poland Prime Minister @donaldtusk is linking his timely condemnation of Hamas with an unacceptable reference to politicians, accompanied by a reminder of the horrible days of World War II. The Prime Minister of Poland should remember the lesson of “Never Again.”… pic.twitter.com/43atQZdT9Z

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) August 4, 2025

“Never Again, Prime Minister Tusk, applies to our era’s new Nazis and their collaborators, Hamas. Israel acts within international law. When Poland is threatened, you don’t take risks either,” the statement concluded. 

The head of the political-strategic division at the Foreign Ministry, who led the conversation with the Polish ambassador, emphasized that Israel is acting against a terrorist organization that openly calls for the murder of Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel. 

The official also pointed out the actions being taken to improve the humanitarian situation, including increasing aid convoys to the Strip, instituting humanitarian pauses, opening safe transit corridors, and even airdropping aid – which it does together with European Union countries. 

The Foreign Ministry also warned the ambassador that Polish use of Holocaust remembrance to describe the situation in Gaza “distorts history and denigrates the memory of the victims.”  

In a statement, the ministry said, "Preserving the sanctity of Holocaust remembrance and preventing its politicization or trivialization is not just an Israeli matter, it is a moral and real interest for Poland itself.”