Activists raise alarm over 'flood' of military supplies from India to Israel

AI Summary

Activists are sounding alarms over a considerable influx of military supplies from India to Israel, which includes a shipment of 806 tonnes of military-grade steel believed to support Israeli military operations. The shipments, associated with the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement, have raised legal and ethical concerns regarding international weapons transfers.

Activists raise alarm over 'flood' of military supplies from India to Israel Azad Essa on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 14:39 Activists say six shipments of suspected military-grade steel were making their way to Israel aboard a Swiss vessel MSC Valeria, a containership from the Mediterranean Shipping Company SA of Geneva, prepares to dock at the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone in Mundra, India, on 4 June 2013 (Sam Panthaky/AFP) Off Activists with the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement and No Harbour for Genocide (NHB) are raising the alarm over what they describe as a "flood" of military supplies from India to Israel, after six shipments of suspected military-grade steel were identified on multiple Swiss vessels en route to weapons factories in Israel. The shipments, activists said, amounted to around 806 tonnes of military-grade steel, and could produce up to 17,458 artillery (155mm) shells for the Israeli military. According to the movement, three of the shipments, carried by the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), are currently being held in Italy -  two in Gioia Tauro, in the region of Calabria, and one in Cagliari, Sardinia - where authorities are being pressed to conduct an inspection.  MSC did not reply to MEE's request for comment. The other three shipments, the movement said, were rerouted from the Mediterranean to Sri Lanka, and the shippers appear to be seeking an alternative route to reach Israel.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "The BDS movement is calling for pressure to stop these supplies from reaching Israel and to hold the far-right Indian government and any complicit Indian company accountable for their complicity in Israel’s atrocity crimes," Ilham Yaseen, military embargo coordinator with the BDS movement, told MEE. The BDS movement was founded in 2005 as a means of non-violently pressuring Israel to comply with its obligations under international law. No Harbour for Genocide said that all six shipments originated from R L Steels & Energy Limited, based in Aurangabad, India, and were ultimately headed to a key weapons manufacturing facility of IMI Systems (now known as Elbit Systems Land) in Ramat Hasharon. These shipments - worth an estimated $1m - left the Indian port of Nhava Sheva, also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, located in Maharashtra, between January and March of this year.  "We are seeing now a flood of military supplies from India to Israel," Yaseen said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); RL Steel and Energy Ltd did not reply to MEE's request for comment or clarification.  Spotlight on India The stalled shipments in the Mediterranean, activists said, highlight how India has stepped in to help address Israeli military supply shortfalls during the past two and a half years of war in Gaza, despite the January 2024 International Court of Justice ruling urging states to avoid actions that could assist Israel’s military campaign, which has been declared a genocide by the United Nations, genocide scholars and multiple human rights organisations. Over 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. Despite a ceasefire, a slow-motion genocide continues in the enclave. "Israel has a huge domestic production, but they rely on specific components, whether it's like high-end technology material for aerospace or bulk materials such as military steel," a spokesperson for No Harbour for Genocide, told MEE. "This military steel, we know it's going to the Ramat Hasharon ammunition plant, which has no civilian output. It's all military production. We know this 100 percent," the spokesperson added. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The latest shipments identified and tracked by the coalition come as Israel's war on Lebanon continues, with more than 3,000 people having been killed since hostilities began in March. On pages 10 and 11 of RL Steels and Energy Ltd's brochure, the company speaks of its work in the defence industry (RL Steel and Energy) New Delhi sent Indian-made Israeli Hermes 900 drones to Israel in early 2024, and later several shipments of military equipment, including rockets. No Harbour for Genocide said recent developments showed that military shipments from India were ongoing and were fundamental for Israel to make up its shortfall of 155mm shells. Israel fired upwards of 100,000 artillery shells into Gaza and Lebanon within the first few months following the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023.  asked the US to send an additional 155mm, as supplies dwindled.  scheduled for closure, but the country’s need to maintain uninterrupted ammunition production became one of the central reasons for its continued operation. 'Legal obligation' The Indian government has faced pressure and criticism from secti