A new investigation published by Declassified UK and Irish outlet The Ditch on Monday revealed that British company Permoid Industries has supplied more than 1,000 containers built to carry munitions to "Israel" since the start of its war on Gaza, raising serious concerns about the UK's arms export controls and complicity in war crimes.

According to shipping records reviewed by the two outlets, Permoid, an engineering firm based in Durham, sent 16 shipments of "storage containers" to Elbit Systems, a leading Israeli arms firm, between October 2023 and April 2025. The combined shipments weigh over 135 tonnes, equivalent to the mass of approximately 67 cars.

While Permoid declined to comment, it did not deny that the containers are intended for transporting weapons. On its website, the company markets ammunition containers designed for "belted ammunition, cartridge, mortar and shell munitions," including 155mm artillery shells.

Weapons Pipeline

Most of the containers, at least 920, were delivered to Elbit's Ramat Hasharon factory near Tel Aviv, a key site producing ground-based military systems for the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF), including artillery and mortar shells. Another 160 containers were sent in December 2023 to Elbit's Advanced Technology Centre in Haifa. The shipments often used cargo services provided by Zim, a controversial Israeli shipping company, and entered Israel via Ashdod port.

Elbit Systems supplies up to 85% of Israeli land-based military equipment, including drones. The Ramat Hasharon facility was granted a waiver from fines by Israeli land authorities to ensure uninterrupted production of artillery shells during the war. Israeli media noted that the "defence establishment views the continuation of Elbit's production activity in Ramat Hasharon… as a means to accelerate the IDF's armament process."

One such weapon developed and deployed in Gaza is the Iron Sting mortar system, with a range of up to 12 kilometers.

Israeli 120mm Iron Sting mortar shell. pic.twitter.com/XLeCKbJ3UW

, 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇺🇲🇬🇷 (@TheDeadDistrict) March 31, 2024

Genocide Trade

The shipments coincide with "Israel's" intensified war on Gaza, including what human rights groups and UN officials have condemned as collective punishment and genocide. The most recent shipment, 360 containers, arrived in April 2025, as Israeli forces escalated their siege and ground campaign.

Former British soldier Joe Glenton, now with campaign group ForcesWatch, stated: "In recent weeks we've seen a major turn in the language used by the Labour government over Israel's assault on Gaza. The hard fact, however, remains that British firms are still provisioning a genocide."

"Ultimately the rhetorical shift means absolutely nothing unless it is matched with an immediate and total ban on arms sales to Israel, accompanied by a withering regime of sanctions," he added.

Read more: West shifts tone on Gaza, but action remains absent: The Guardian

Export Deception

The UK government claims to have suspended export licenses for any goods that might be used in Gaza operations. A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: "We have a robust licensing regime in place… based on our assessment that these could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law."

Although Permoid does not publicly list ties to the Israeli arms sector, its website names Lockheed Martin and Engineered Plastic Designs as partners. The firm has contributed to container production for Hellfire and Longbow missiles, which can be launched from Apache helicopters, a platform frequently used by Israel.

Hellfire missiles were reportedly used in a 2024 Israeli strike on a school in Nuseirat, killing 22 civilians. A witness said, "We are pulling a hand here and a leg there from under the rubble. Civilians who did nothing wrong."

Earlier this year, the US approved $660 million in additional Hellfire missiles for "Israel", totaling around 3,000 projectiles.