ATHENS 

Port workers at Greece’s Piraeus Port, one of Europe’s largest, on Monday blocked the unloading of military-grade steel destined for Israel.

At a rally held at Piers 2 and 3, union members — joined by pro-Palestinian activists, left-leaning groups, and lawmakers from the Greek Communist Party (KKE) — Markos Bekris, president of ENEDEP (the port’s container handling workers’ union), said they will not allow the port to became a base to support Israeli massacres against Palestinians.

"We will not let the port become an outpost of the US, NATO or the EU. Our goal is: to block the unloading in practice and prevent the transport of this deadly cargo. We will not stain our hands with blood, we will not become complicit and at the same time targets of retaliation,” he said.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since October 2023, killing over 58,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave, led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.