Latest news with #Israeli-related
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Canada's arms shipments to Israel continue despite official freeze, shows data; records reveal ammo and parts sent
An Israeli soldier directs a tank at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip (Image : AP) Despite the Canadian government's repeated claims that it halted arms exports to Israel in January 2024, newly uncovered Israeli import records and global shipping documents suggest otherwise, revealing ongoing shipments of Canadian military goods, including ammunition and weapons parts. A group of researchers from four NGOs, World Beyond War, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and Independent Jewish Voices, uncovered data from the Israel Tax Authority showing continued imports of Canadian goods described as military weapon parts and ammunition. "This report lays bare, without a doubt, the true extent of Canada's ongoing material support for Israel amidst this genocide," said Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement at a press conference in Ottawa, as quoted by CBC News. "It illustrates that despite deceptive government statements, the flow of military cargo from Canada to Israel has been uninterrupted." The activists also obtained shipping records describing Canadian ammunition and military equipment sent to Israel. CBC News reported that it reviewed both the tax and shipping documents. The Israel Tax Authority's website lists 2025 imports from Canada of 'bullets' and other items Ottawa says are not being, and cannot be, exported. Some of the data tracks recent shipments directly to the door of one of Canada's largest arms companies. While Canada does not directly sell arms to Israel, it regulates exports between Canadian firms and foreign buyers through permits issued per contract, often valid for years. Most Israeli-related permits refer to companies in defense supply chains, though company names are not publicly disclosed. 'Lethal' loophole Canada primarily exports components such as printed circuit boards and materials for surveillance systems. The latest report to Parliament lists no active permits for arms or ammunition. The Trudeau government initially announced a halt to all military shipments to Israel, later narrowing it to 'lethal' equipment. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) now says the freeze only applies to items that could be used in Gaza. "Canada has not approved any new permits for items to Israel that could be used in the current conflict in Gaza since January 8, 2024," said GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod. She added that the department suspended 'approximately 30 export permits' for items that could potentially be used in that conflict. However, most existing permits remained valid. Only two new permits were issued in 2024, yet Israel ranked as Canada's fourth-largest recipient of military goods that year, using 164 permits. "There's a lack of transparency in particular about what permits are still active, which permits are not active and the rationale behind all of these," said Shoufani. In 2024, $2.25 million in sales fell under the export category for 'Bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles, other explosive devices and charges and related equipment and accessories.' Arms still flowing? 175,000 munitions sent in 2025 An April 2025 entry shows Canada exported 175,000 units to Israel under a customs code for bombs, grenades, mines, cartridges, and similar munitions. In June 2025, another 15,000 units of 'parts and accessories of military weapons' were recorded. The Canadian government has not explained the discrepancy between its stated policy and the documented exports. CBC News asked GAC how it ensures Canadian military goods are not used in Gaza, but received no response. 'Due to commercial confidentiality, global affairs Canada does not comment on the specifics of individual export permit applications or transactions,' said MacLeod, as cited by CBC News. Three notable shipments of "cartridges" departed Montreal's Dorval Airport for Tel Aviv in September 2024, May 2025, and July 2025. Classified as 'dangerous goods,' all passed through JFK Airport in New York. The most recent shipment, on July 17, originated from postal code J5Z 2P4 in Repentigny, Quebec — the site of general dynamics ordnance and tactical systems' cartridge manufacturing plant. In August 2024, the US department of defense announced a shipment of 50,000 120-mm high-explosive mortar cartridges to Israel, naming General Dynamics OTS in Quebec as the principal contractor. Then-foreign minister Mélanie Joly responded, 'We will not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period. How they're being sent and where they're being sent is irrelevant.'
Yemen Online
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yemen Online
Seafarers stranded off Yemen port eye exit after US-Houthi ceasefire deal
Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen's port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the US, maritime and labor union sources said on Thursday. Still, threat levels for shipping remained high given the Houthis' confirmation that Israeli-related assets remained open to attack and the attendant risks to broader shipping, maritime officials said. Ships with no connection to Israel had been targeted in the past with no certainty of safe passage. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the US would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen as they had agreed to stop targeting US ships in Red Sea waters off the Arabian Peninsula country. However, the deal does not cover close US ally Israel, the Houthis stated on Wednesday, suggesting its attacks on shipping in professed solidarity with Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza might not come to a complete halt. A nearly two-month-long US bombing campaign in Yemen dealt heavy damage to the Houthis, with a spillover impact on shipping in the Ras Isa region on the Red Sea, a critical artery for world trade. Several crew members on ships in the vicinity of US airstrikes were injured, and two vessels prevented from sailing away by Houthis, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the biggest seafarers' union. A Houthi official told Reuters that following the agreement with Washington, ships should now be able to enter Ras Isa, discharge cargoes and depart without issues. At least one of the vessels - mainly tankers carrying fuel supplies including liquefied petroleum gas - was moving into the port to begin discharging cargo on Thursday, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. No guarantee of safe passage While the risk of collateral damage from airstrikes has abated, seafarers remained concerned about Israeli attacks on Houthi targets in the region. In response to Houthi drones launched at Israel over the past week, Israeli warplanes hit the major Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah, causing some damage, shipping sources said. Some of the vessels stuck have been waiting for weeks to discharge in Ras Isa and were urgently seeking to leave the area, the captain of one of the vessels, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive situation, told Reuters. 'The ITF is working urgently to support these crews, but they need more than words; they need safe passage home,' ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians in Israeli-besieged Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized one and killed at least four seafarers. There have been no known attacks since January this year. Many shipping companies have halted voyages through the Red Sea amid uncertainty over whether the ceasefire deal will stick. 'We do not send ships in until we are sure that the people on board are safe,' Lasse Kristoffersen, CEO with shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, told Reuters on Thursday. 'We have no information at this time to suggest that.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seafarers stranded off Yemen port eye exit after US-Houthi ceasefire deal
By Jonathan Saul and Mohammed Ghobari ADEN (Reuters) - Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen's port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the U.S., maritime and labour union sources said on Thursday. Still, threat levels for shipping remained high given the Houthis' confirmation that Israeli-related assets remained open to attack and the attendant risks to broader shipping, maritime officials said. Ships with no connection to Israel had been targeted in the past with no certainty of safe passage. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen as they had agreed to stop targeting U.S. ships in Red Sea waters off the Arabian Peninsula country. However, the deal does not cover close U.S. ally Israel, the Houthis stated on Wednesday, suggesting its attacks on shipping in professed solidarity with Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza might not come to a complete halt. A nearly two-month-long U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen dealt heavy damage to the Houthis, with a spillover impact on shipping in the Ras Isa region on the Red Sea, a critical artery for world trade. Several crew members on ships in the vicinity of U.S. air strikes were injured, and two vessels prevented from sailing away by Houthis, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the biggest seafarers' union. A Houthi official told Reuters that following the agreement with Washington, ships should now be able to enter Ras Isa, discharge cargoes and depart without issues. At least one of the vessels - mainly tankers carrying fuel supplies including liquefied petroleum gas - was moving into the port to begin discharging cargo on Thursday, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. NO GUARANTEE OF SAFE PASSAGE While the risk of collateral damage from airstrikes has abated, seafarers remained concerned about Israeli attacks on Houthi targets in the region. In response to Houthi drones launched at Israel over the past week, Israeli warplanes hit the major Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah, causing some damage, shipping sources said. Some of the vessels stuck have been waiting for weeks to discharge in Ras Isa and were urgently seeking to leave the area, the captain of one of the vessels, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive situation, told Reuters. "The ITF is working urgently to support these crews, but they need more than words; they need safe passage home," ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians in Israeli-besieged Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized one and killed at least four seafarers. There have been no known attacks since January this year. Many shipping companies have halted voyages through the Red Sea amid uncertainty over whether the ceasefire deal will stick. "We do not send ships in until we are sure that the people on board are safe," Lasse Kristoffersen, CEO with shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, told Reuters on Thursday. "We have no information at this time to suggest that."
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Seafarers stranded off Yemen port eye exit after US-Houthi ceasefire deal
ADEN, May 8 (Reuters) - Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen's port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the U.S., maritime and labour union sources said on Thursday. Still, threat levels for shipping remained high given the Houthis' confirmation that Israeli-related assets remained open to attack and the attendant risks to broader shipping, maritime officials said. Ships with no connection to Israel had been targeted in the past with no certainty of safe passage. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen as they had agreed to stop targeting U.S. ships in Red Sea waters off the Arabian Peninsula country. However, the deal does not cover close U.S. ally Israel, the Houthis stated on Wednesday, suggesting its attacks on shipping in professed solidarity with Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza might not come to a complete halt. A nearly two-month-long U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen dealt heavy damage to the Houthis, with a spillover impact on shipping in the Ras Isa region on the Red Sea, a critical artery for world trade. Several crew members on ships in the vicinity of U.S. air strikes were injured, and two vessels prevented from sailing away by Houthis, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the biggest seafarers' union. A Houthi official told Reuters that following the agreement with Washington, ships should now be able to enter Ras Isa, discharge cargoes and depart without issues. At least one of the vessels - mainly tankers carrying fuel supplies including liquefied petroleum gas - was moving into the port to begin discharging cargo on Thursday, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. While the risk of collateral damage from airstrikes has abated, seafarers remained concerned about Israeli attacks on Houthi targets in the region. In response to Houthi drones launched at Israel over the past week, Israeli warplanes hit the major Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah, causing some damage, shipping sources said. Some of the vessels stuck have been waiting for weeks to discharge in Ras Isa and were urgently seeking to leave the area, the captain of one of the vessels, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive situation, told Reuters. "The ITF is working urgently to support these crews, but they need more than words; they need safe passage home," ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians in Israeli-besieged Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized one and killed at least four seafarers. There have been no known attacks since January this year. Many shipping companies have halted voyages through the Red Sea amid uncertainty over whether the ceasefire deal will stick. "We do not send ships in until we are sure that the people on board are safe," Lasse Kristoffersen, CEO with shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, told Reuters on Thursday. "We have no information at this time to suggest that."
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Seafarers stranded off Yemen port eye exit after US-Houthi ceasefire deal
ADEN - Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen's port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the U.S., maritime and labour union sources said on Thursday. Still, threat levels for shipping remained high given the Houthis' confirmation that Israeli-related assets remained open to attack and the attendant risks to broader shipping, maritime officials said. Ships with no connection to Israel had been targeted in the past with no certainty of safe passage. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen as they had agreed to stop targeting U.S. ships in Red Sea waters off the Arabian Peninsula country. However, the deal does not cover close U.S. ally Israel, the Houthis stated on Wednesday, suggesting its attacks on shipping in professed solidarity with Palestinian militants fighting Israel in Gaza might not come to a complete halt. A nearly two-month-long U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen dealt heavy damage to the Houthis, with a spillover impact on shipping in the Ras Isa region on the Red Sea, a critical artery for world trade. Several crew members on ships in the vicinity of U.S. air strikes were injured, and two vessels prevented from sailing away by Houthis, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the biggest seafarers' union. A Houthi official told Reuters that following the agreement with Washington, ships should now be able to enter Ras Isa, discharge cargoes and depart without issues. At least one of the vessels - mainly tankers carrying fuel supplies including liquefied petroleum gas - was moving into the port to begin discharging cargo on Thursday, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform. NO GUARANTEE OF SAFE PASSAGE While the risk of collateral damage from airstrikes has abated, seafarers remained concerned about Israeli attacks on Houthi targets in the region. In response to Houthi drones launched at Israel over the past week, Israeli warplanes hit the major Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah, causing some damage, shipping sources said. Some of the vessels stuck have been waiting for weeks to discharge in Ras Isa and were urgently seeking to leave the area, the captain of one of the vessels, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive situation, told Reuters. "The ITF is working urgently to support these crews, but they need more than words; they need safe passage home," ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians in Israeli-besieged Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized one and killed at least four seafarers. There have been no known attacks since January this year. Many shipping companies have halted voyages through the Red Sea amid uncertainty over whether the ceasefire deal will stick. "We do not send ships in until we are sure that the people on board are safe," Lasse Kristoffersen, CEO with shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, told Reuters on Thursday. "We have no information at this time to suggest that." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
