Polish citizens are among the hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the Polish foreign minister said on Thursday.

Zbigniew Rau made the announcement while speaking to the press in Paris on Thursday after a conference on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Hamas kidnapped around 241 people during its raid on southern Israel on October 7 that also claimed the lives of about 1,400 people.

“Poles are among the hostages of the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas held in the Gaza Strip,” Rau said.

The minister declined to give details, including the number of hostages, “for the sake of the welfare of these people” and because of the “diplomatic efforts” being made by Poland to free them.

Rau did not refer to statements made by Yaakov Livne, the Israeli ambassador to Poland, who suggested that the evacuation of Poles from Gaza should be negotiated with Hamas.

The government is continuing negotiations to evacuate 20 Polish citizens from the Gaza Strip despite the difficult conditions.