Tel Aviv - Thousands of young Jews from around the world are set to march from the Auschwitz to Birkenau death camps in Poland on Thursday to commemorate the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is scheduled to lead an estimated 12 000 people on the 30th annual March of the Living in Poland.

In Israel, sirens will sound throughout the country to observe a two-minute moment of silence. The main ceremonies in the country will take place at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials attending.

The Poland march comes as Warsaw passed a controversial law setting out fines or jail time for those who blame the Polish people or state for atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Critics, including many in Israel, say the law is loosely formulated and could be abused to deny or negate Polish responsibility for crimes against the Jewish people.