[News] Italian port authorities halt Israel-bound shipments of 'military-grade steel' from India

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Italian port authorities halt Israel-bound shipments of 'military-grade
steel' from India

The shipments are being held at Italian ports, as activists say the cargo
could produce thousands of explosive shells

News Desk <https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9>

MAY 19, 2026 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/italian-port-authorities-halt-israel-bound-shipments-of-military-grade-steel-from-india
(Phot credit: Reuters)

Italian authorities are holding three shipments suspected of carrying
military-grade steel from India to Israel after activists from the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and No Harbour for Genocide (NHB)
exposed their contents, *Middle East Eye* (MEE) reported on 18 May.

According to the activists, the shipments amount to roughly 806 tonnes of
military-grade steel and could be used to manufacture up to 17,458
artillery shells for the Israeli army.

They said the cargo originated from R L Steels & Energy Limited in
Aurangabad and was destined for IMI Systems, now known as Elbit Systems
<https://thecradle.co/articles/israels-elbit-systems-reports-record-profits-on-the-back-of-gaza-genocide>
Land, in Ramat Hasharon.

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NEW: 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…
pic.twitter.com/uGxnJX7r65 <https://t.co/uGxnJX7r65>— Azad Essa (@azadessa) May
19, 2026
<https://twitter.com/azadessa/status/2056709436136370336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Three consignments transported by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
are being held in Gioia Tauro and Cagliari, while another three were
reportedly rerouted toward Sri Lanka after activists began tracking the
vessels.

“We are seeing now a flood of military supplies from India to Israel,”
Ilham Yaseen, military embargo coordinator with BDS, told *MEE*.

She called 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.”

A spokesperson for NHB said the steel was heading to “the Ramat Hasharon
ammunition plant, which has no civilian output. It’s all military
production. We know this 100 percent.”

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In just the first three months of 2026, BDS strategic campaigning
contributed to at least 80 achievements across more than 15 different
campaign areas.

You helped make all of this possible. Continue building pressure with us.

Donate today ➡️https://t.co/wNIgvTTjOR pic.twitter.com/JrugQ8UjNM
<https://t.co/JrugQ8UjNM>— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) May 19, 2026
<https://twitter.com/BDSmovement/status/2056710623384174938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Activists say the deliveries underline India’s growing role in supplying
Israel during its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, particularly as demand for
155mm artillery shells has surged.

The activists also accused shipping firms of obscuring routes and
destinations to avoid scrutiny, after Spain reportedly blocked one vessel
from docking, Greek dockworkers refused to unload cargo, and Italian
authorities later detained three shipments for possible inspection.

On 6 February, dockworkers from more than 20 ports
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/35727> across Italy, Greece, the Basque
Country, Morocco, and Turkiye carried out coordinated action under the
banner “Dockworkers Don’t Work for War,” aiming to disrupt arms shipments
and oppose the use of civilian ports for war logistics.

Italy’s Unione Sindacale di Base said the action sought to “ensure that
European and Mediterranean ports are places of peace, free from any
involvement in war.”

Francesco Staccioli of USB warned, “If we don’t take this step, all our
other demands will be crushed under war.”

Across Europe, since the genocide in Gaza was launched in October 2023,
court rulings, national bans, dockworker actions, and rail blockades have
worked to obstruct Israeli military shipments.

Despite this, many European states continue to facilitate arms transfers to
Israel, with Germany approving $7.8 million in arms exports
<https://thecradle.co/articles/germany-approved-millions-in-arms-sales-to-israel-during-early-days-of-iran-war>
during the first weeks of the US-Israeli war on Iran, despite lawyers
pursuing German officials for aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza through
weapons deliveries.

Most recently, Israeli media reported that dozens of cargo planes
<https://thecradle.co/articles/germany-approved-millions-in-arms-sales-to-israel-during-early-days-of-iran-war>
transported ammunition through US military bases in Germany, as Washington
and Tel Aviv intensified preparations for possible renewed attacks on Iran.
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