Activists from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and the No Harbour for Genocide coalition have identified six shipments of suspected military-grade steel travelling from India to Israeli weapons factories, with Italian port authorities holding three of those consignments for inspection. The shipments, totalling approximately 806 tonnes, originated from R L Steels & Energy Limited, based in Aurangabad, India, and were headed to the IMI Systems — now known as Elbit Systems Land — ammunition plant in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, according to Middle East Eye, which reported the story on May 18, 2026. The six consignments left the Indian port of Nhava Sheva, also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra, between January and March 2026.
The 806 tonnes of steel, if delivered, could produce up to 17,458 artillery shells of the 155mm calibre used by the Israeli military, No Harbour for Genocide said.
Three of the shipments, carried aboard vessels operated 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 have held the cargo for inspection. Two additional shipments are also being held in Gioia Tauro, where activists are pressing authorities to carry out inspections.
A sixth shipment, worth 206 tonnes of military-grade steel, was rerouted from the Mediterranean to Sri Lanka. The shippers appear to be seeking an alternative route to reach Israel. MSC did not respond to Middle East Eye’s request for comment. RL Steels & Energy Limited also did not reply to a request for comment or clarification.
“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 Middle East Eye.
Yaseen described the pace of transfers as a “flood of military supplies from India to Israel.”
Shipments Traced Through a Procurement Intermediary
According to activists, four of the six consignments carry identical export codes and product grades, and appear to be routed through a procurement intermediary known as Banyan Group International (BGI). BGI markets itself as a conduit for Israeli companies seeking to partner with Indian counterparts, either to sell products or source raw materials.
Activists told Middle East Eye this structure was a deliberate effort to separate the end buyer from the original source. BGI did not reply to a request for comment.
The MSC vessels carrying the Indian cargo have sought to obfuscate their routes and destinations since activists began tracking the shipments in February 2026. Shippers have moved from port to port or changed their routes to avoid being traced.
Spain initially blocked the docking of one of the vessels suspected of carrying an allotted shipment. In Portugal, questions were raised in parliament over the docking of a vessel in Sines. In Greece, dockworkers refused to unload suspected shipments before Italian authorities ultimately held three consignments for potential inspection.
The Ramat Hasharon Factory
A spokesperson for No Harbour for Genocide told Middle East Eye that Israel maintains significant domestic arms production capacity but relies on specific components — including bulk materials such as military-grade steel. “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 said.
The Ramat Hasharon factory had been scheduled for closure for several years, but the need to maintain uninterrupted ammunition production became a central reason for its continued operation. No Harbour for Genocide said the factory not only remained open but appeared to have increased production.
Regional and Global Impact
The stalled shipments draw attention to India’s role in addressing Israeli military supply shortfalls during more than 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.
Israel fired upwards of 100,000 artillery shells into Gaza and Lebanon within the first few months following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and as early as mid-October 2023, the Israeli government asked the United States to send additional 155mm shells as supplies dwindled.
The latest shipments tracked by the activist coalition arrive as hostilities involving Israel in Lebanon continue. More than 3,000 people have been killed since fighting there resumed in March.
Yaseen framed India’s position in broader political terms. “India was once among the world leaders advancing the United Nations principles and multilateralism based on justice, freedom, and equality,” she said. “Today, its far-right government has turned India into a world leader in arming genocide and apartheid.”
Background
The BDS movement was founded in 2005 as a means of non-violently pressuring Israel to comply with its obligations under international law. India and Israel have deepened defence and trade ties over the past decade. New Delhi sent Indian-made Israeli Hermes 900 drones to Israel in early 2024, followed by several shipments of military equipment, including rockets, according to Al Jazeera. In October 2025, RL Steels & Energy Limited sent 125 tonnes of military-grade steel directly to IMI Systems as part of a larger 440-tonne military cargo shipment — which included 175 tonnes of 155mm artillery projectile bodies and 140 tonnes of mortar bomb components — transported from Chennai to Haifa aboard the vessel Holger G, as reported by The Ditch. India abstained from a UN Human Rights Council vote in April 2024 that called for an arms embargo on Israel, and an Indian Supreme Court petition to block arms shipments, filed in September 2024, was immediately dismissed.
What Happens Next
Italian authorities are currently holding three shipments for potential inspection, and activists are pressing authorities in Gioia Tauro to inspect two further vessels. The sixth shipment, rerouted to Sri Lanka, remains in transit as shippers seek an alternative delivery route to Israel, according to Middle East Eye. The BDS movement has called on governments and port authorities across Europe to prevent the cargo from reaching its destination. No response from the Indian government had been issued at the time of publication.
