France is not supplying Israel with spare parts for weapons used in the Gaza Strip operation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday.
On Wednesday, Disclose news outlet reported that a cargo ship carrying 14 tonnes of spare parts for submachine guns would dock from the port of Fos-sur-Mer in France to the port of Haifa in Israel. It was the third delivery of this kind since the beginning of 2025, the report said. Later, the outlet added that cannon tubes would also be delivered. However, longshoremen refused to load it onto a ship, saying they “will not participate in the ongoing genocide organized by the Israeli government.”
“We do not deliver military equipment used in Gaza. There are two exceptions: components that allow Israel to defend itself – including for the Iron Dome – and for equipment that can be assembled in Israel, but intended for re-export,” Barrot told RTL radio.
If any French-supplied parts were used in armed clashes, the manufacturing company would be violating the law, the minister added.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that European countries must toughen their stance on Israel over its ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip. The French leader also noted that recognizing a Palestinian state “is not only a moral obligation, but also a political necessity.”
