French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide
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French port workers blocked an arms shipment bound for "Israel", condemning France's role in supporting its military. The shipment included components used in Gaza attacks, raising transparency concerns.
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A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli military strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)
Port workers at the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) in the Gulf of Fos, southern France, have successfully blocked a planned shipment of French-made military equipment destined for "Israel". The cargo, produced by the company Eurolinks, was scheduled to depart from the port of Marseille-Fos on Thursday.
The move comes after an investigative report by Disclose revealed that the shipment included 19 pallets carrying 14 tons of ammunition links believed to be components for machine guns used by the Israeli military.
The union confirmed its refusal to load the cargo onto the vessel headed to the port of Haifa, condemning what it described as “France’s complicity in supporting the Israeli military arsenal.”
“These Eurolinks connectors are spare parts for machine guns used by the Israeli army to continue its massacres against the Palestinian people,” the union said in a statement, reaffirming its members’ principled stance and categorical rejection of any involvement in the aggression.
“We repeat it again and again: we will not be part of the genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government,” the statement declared.
Union stance: Peace over profit
The CGT union, which represents port workers at Fos, said the action reflects its consistent position in support of peace and rejection of capitalist exploitation and wars across the world.
According to Disclose, the shipment was set to be transported by the Israeli vessel Conchip Era, operated by the ZIM shipping company, bound for Haifa.
The cargo included metal components used in assembling cartridges for Negev 5 machine guns, manufactured by Eurolinks in Marseille and supplied to Israeli Military Industries (IMI), a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, the main weapons provider to the Israeli army.
Recurring shipments despite global pressure
This is reportedly the third such shipment in 2025, despite growing international calls to suspend arms exports to "Israel" over their use against civilians in Gaza.
Similar shipments were sent on 3 April and 22 May. Investigations found the exported components matched weapons used by the Israeli army during the Flour Massacre in February 2024, in which over 100 Palestinians were killed while awaiting humanitarian aid.
Despite statements by French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu claiming that export licenses prohibit the reuse of such parts by the Israeli army, Disclose found no effective monitoring mechanisms to enforce this.
The case reignites public debate over the transparency of France’s arms exports and the accountability of companies involved in foreign conflicts, especially in light of President Emmanuel Macron’s October 2024 remarks urging a halt in weapons transfers to "Israel", saying, “We cannot call for a ceasefire while continuing to supply weapons.”
However, by the end of October, a Paris commercial court ruled on Wednesday that the French government's decision to exclude Israeli businesses from putting up exhibits or showcasing gear at the Euronaval defense trade expo was invalid.
The court ordered the organizers "to suspend the execution of the measures adopted against the Israeli exhibiting companies whose stands were prohibited at the Euronaval 2024 exhibition until the exhibition's closing date," according to the verdict.
