Polish Volunteer Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Aid Convoy Posthumously Honored

Damian Sobol, a Polish volunteer, was posthumously awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta at his funeral in Przemyśl, Poland, after being killed in an Israeli airstrike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian convoy in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. The attack, which occurred on April 1, 2024, claimed the lives of seven people, including Australian, British, US-Canadian citizens, and a Palestinian driver.

Sobol was part of the convoy that was distinctly identified and on a well-used humanitarian route, leading his father to believe the airstrike was a targeted attack. The deaths of Sobol and the other aid workers were condemned by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who demanded answers from Israel.

Poland's government called the killing a 'murder' and demanded Israel's full cooperation in the investigation opened by Polish prosecutors. Israel took responsibility for the attack, which it said was a 'tragic mistake,' and dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others. However, Poland deemed the disciplinary measures 'insufficient' and demanded that the case be tried by an independent court in Israel.

Many Polish lawmakers considered the killings a war crime, and Poland is working with other countries whose citizens were killed to press for a detailed investigation into how the humanitarian convoy became a target of repeated shelling by the Israeli army, which violated international rules of defense.

The IDF acknowledged the incident as a 'grave mistake' stemming from "serious operational failures, mistaken classification and identification errors in decision making, and strikes that were conducted in violation of stunted operation procedures." However, WCK is demanding an independent commission to investigate the killings, stating that the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure.

Chef José Andrés, the founder of WCK, expressed grief and urged the Israeli government to stop the 'indiscriminate killing' and 'using food as a weapon.' Rights groups and aid workers say this mistake was hardly an anomaly, and that the wider problem is not violations of the military's rules of engagement but the rules themselves, which give the military wide leeway to determine what is a target and how many civilian deaths it allows as collateral damage.

Why this matters: The killing of humanitarian aid workers in a clearly marked convoy raises serious concerns about Israel's military conduct and adherence to international rules of engagement. The incident has strained diplomatic relations between Israel and the countries whose citizens were killed, with demands for an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible.

The Polish Foreign Minister and President expressed their condolences, and the Polish city of Przemyśl mourned the loss of Damian Sobol, who had previously helped deliver aid to Ukrainian refugees. The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the deaths. The pattern of strikes on civilians, including those carrying white flags, has raised concerns about

Key Takeaways

• Polish volunteer Damian Sobol killed in Israeli airstrike on WCK convoy in Gaza.
• Attack killed 7, including citizens of Australia, Britain, US-Canada, and a Palestinian.
• Israel acknowledged 'grave mistake' but Poland deemed disciplinary measures 'insufficient'.
• Demands for independent investigation into how humanitarian convoy became target.
• Incident strains Israel's diplomatic relations, raises concerns about military conduct.