Several people holding dual Polish and Israeli citizenship have been killed by Hamas or died while in the Islamist group’s captivity. Damian Soból, a Polish volunteer working with the World Central Kitchen was also killed by an Israeli strike on the humanitarian NGO’s convoy.

Ten months of war

On October 7, militants from the Palestinian organization Hamas initiated the Gaza war with a cross-border attack on Israeli communities, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and the capture of approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources. In retaliation, Israel launched an extensive assault on Gaza.

Palestinian health authorities report that Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza has resulted in more than 39,000 deaths, mostly civilians, and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents.

Tensions have particularly heightened in the last few weeks following Israeli airstrikes that killed key figures from Hezbollah and Hamas.

On June 30, Israel launched an airstrike on Lebanon’s capital of Beirut, killing Hezbollah’s senior military commander Fouad Shukur, whom it accused of orchestrating a cross-border rocket attack on the town of Majdal Shams that killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

The very next day, Israel carried out another airstrike, this time in the Iranian capital of Tehran, killing Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was there to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian.

These recent killings by Israel have increased the risk of an all-out regional war, with Iran also threatening to respond after the attack on its territory.