However, diplomatic sources said Netanyahu was not planning to attend the commemoration in Poland. Instead, Israel’s education minister is expected to come in his place. 

President Andrzej Duda urged the authorities in Warsaw to facilitate Netanyahu’s stay, should he decide to attend events in southern Poland marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation, Bloomberg reported. 

In a letter addressed to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the opposition-backed president outlined the "exceptional circumstances" of the commemoration, according to the Polish news website, Interia. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu is subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, having been accused of committing war crimes during Israel’s ongoing military campaign against the Hamas militant group in Gaza. 

The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry claims that more than 45,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the territory.  

This year’s Auschwitz commemoration is scheduled for January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Duda’s request could have put the Polish government in a tricky position, as Warsaw is a signatory to the ICC treaty and is obliged to comply with its rulings, including potential enforcement of arrest warrants for individuals accused of crimes under international law, Bloomberg reported. 

Małgorzata Paprocka, head of the presidential office in Warsaw, confirmed that Duda had sent the letter to Tusk, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Thursday.  

"All instruments related to ensuring the stay of the prime minister [Netanyahu], or any other representative of the state... are in the hands of the [Polish] prime minister" and the government, she said. 

The last living victims of the Holocaust are expected to attend the anniversary of the Auschwitz camp’s liberation in 1945 alongside global leaders to honor those who were killed there by Nazi Germany.