Leszek Szymański/PAP

A group of Poles who crossed from war-torn Gaza into Egypt on Sunday have arrived in Warsaw, spokesman for the Operational Command of the Armed Forces announced on Monday afternoon.

“Two planes landed at the Okecie military airport before 3pm with 18 Polish citizens evacuated from the Gaza Strip on board,” Jacek Goryszewski said.

Since the evacuees also included children, a paediatrician was present on site, he added.

Goryszewski said that all evacuees will be provided with psychological and medical care as well as a place to stay until their families can pick them up. 

He also said that the Polish army is prepared for further tasks as regards evacuating Poles from Gaza. 

“Further decisions on possible evacuations will be made solely on the basis of the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Bureau… We are fully prepared,” Goryszewski added.

A further seven Poles are believed to be still trapped in Gaza, one of whom, Alex Danzig, is reportedly being held hostage by Hamas.

“We are waiting for other persons to arrive through the Rafah crossing,” Jacek Siewiera, head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), told the Polsat News private television programme on Sunday. “Conditions are very difficult.”

President Andrzej Duda has recently decided to use the Polish Military Contingent in Egypt to help in the evacuation of Polish citizens entrapped in the Gaza Strip after Israel launched a massive air and land assault on Palestinian territory following the Hamas attack on October 7 that killed around 1,200 Israelis.