Above photo: Reuters.
The shipments are being held at Italian ports.
Activists say the cargo could produce thousands of explosive shells.
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 Land, in Ramat Hasharon.
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
— Azad Essa (@azadessa) May 19, 2026
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.”
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
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) May 19, 2026
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 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 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 transported ammunition through US military bases in Germany, as Washington and Tel Aviv intensified preparations for possible renewed attacks on Iran.
Croatian president rejects Israeli envoy over Gaza ‘brutal policy’
Milanovic previously called Israel’s crimes in Gaza ‘horrific and unprecedented’
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic rejected Israel’s proposed ambassador to Zagreb over the policies of the current Israeli government and what he described as a breach of diplomatic protocol, according to statements released on 19 May by the Croatian presidency.
“The proposed Ambassador of the State of Israel has not received, nor will he receive, the consent of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović,” the president’s office said in a statement.
The Croatian presidency said it had previously avoided public comment on ambassadorial nominations in line with diplomatic practice.
It accused Israel of violating an “unwritten rule” by publicly announcing the nominee before receiving formal approval from Zagreb.
“In light of this action by the Israeli side,” the office said, the president confirmed the nominee would not be approved, linking his decision to the “policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities.”
Israeli media identified the nominee as Nissan Amdur, who was appointed to replace outgoing ambassador Gary Koren, and is now expected to arrive in Croatia as chargé d’affaires, a diplomatic posting that does not require presidential approval.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was working with Croatian officials to “resolve the matter of the status of Israel’s next ambassador in Zagreb,” according to the Times of Israel.
Milanovic, who has repeatedly condemned Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, saying that “there is not cooperation with Israel as far as the Croatian Army is concerned,” adding that Israeli actions in Gaza amounted to “a brutal policy” and “horrific, unprecedented disregard for humanitarian law and humanity.”
The Croatian president also defended the decision as a sovereign prerogative of his office, saying that “granting or withholding of consent for proposed ambassadors is a sovereign right” of the presidency.
The reports said it is the first time a Croatian president has refused approval for an ambassadorial appointment.
