Together for Justice – August 10, 2025
Saudi Regime Shipping Weapons to Israel Amid Gaza Genocide
Together for Justice strongly condemns the shocking incident that took place at the port of Genoa, Italy, on August 7, 2025, when dockworkers intercepted the Saudi vessel Bahri Yanbu, arriving from the United States, after discovering it was carrying a massive shipment of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment—including an Italian-made Oto Melara gun, armoured vehicles, and tanks—bound for Israel.
This scandal is not merely a violation of international and Italian law prohibiting the export of arms to conflict zones, but constitutes clear and undeniable evidence of the Saudi regime’s blatant complicity with Israel and its direct involvement in fuelling the Israeli war machine. At a time when Israel is committing genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the Saudi regime continues to supply the tools of death and destruction, in brazen defiance of all humanitarian principles and international conventions.
The Genoa dockworkers displayed moral courage and human dignity by refusing to take part in what they described as “shipments of death,” insisting they would not be complicit in genocide. In stark contrast, the Saudi regime insists on acting as a key partner in sustaining Israel’s crimes, crossing every red line, and disregarding entirely the suffering, rights, and dignity of the Palestinian people.
Together for Justice affirms that this criminal behaviour by the Saudi regime is part of a broader pattern of normalisation and deepening economic and security ties with Israel, exposing the falsity of its claims of supporting the Palestinian cause. We call on the international community, human rights organisations, and workers’ and trade unions worldwide to exert maximum pressure to halt any military or logistical cooperation with the Saudi regime, and to hold it accountable for its role in arming and financing Israel.
We also demand the launch of an independent international investigation into this shipment, to expose the supply and financing networks behind it, and to impose urgent sanctions on all those involved—from Saudi officials to companies and entities facilitating the transfer of these weapons to Israel.
Silence in the face of this crime is another form of complicity. The world is now faced with a real test to prove that international law and human rights are not selective slogans, but binding commitments that hold every violator to account—without exception.
World Socialist Web Site – August 8, 2025
Italian dockworkers block Saudi ship carrying weapons for Israel
Marc Wells
On August 7, dockworkers in Genoa mounted a determined blockade against the transit of the Saudi ship Bahri Yanbu, in a direct challenge to Italy’s role in arming Israel and its imperialist allies.
The ship, arriving from Baltimore, Maryland in the United States, was scheduled to load military equipment produced by the Italian arms conglomerate Leonardo, including an Oto Melara cannon bound for Abu Dhabi and possibly tanks or other heavy weapons already staged in the terminal yard.
Refusing to become accomplices in the Gaza genocide, the workers blocked the loading of the cannon and exposed the ship’s cargo—already filled with weapons, ammunition, explosives, armored vehicles and tanks—through on-site inspections at dawn.
Despite attempts to obstruct their access, around 40 dockworkers boarded to document the shipment. Their defiance forced the Port Authority into damage-control mode, offering vague promises to discuss in September the creation of a “permanent observatory on arms trafficking.”
The dockworkers made their position clear: “We don’t work for war.” In 2019, workers blocked a similar shipment for the same Saudi company, after discovering the declared civilian cargo was in fact weaponry. That mobilization extracted a pledge to stop loading such cargo, but no ban on transit was ever implemented, allowing the weapons flow to continue.
This week’s action immediately drew the intervention of the major union federations—CGIL, CISL and UIL—alongside base unions USB (Unione Sindacale di Base) and CALP (Collettivo Autonomo Lavoratori Portuali). They were joined by pacifist groups and the Genoese Church, whose involvement since 2021 has enjoyed the explicit support of Pope Francis.
The confederated unions announced a ban on loading arms for war zones “by any means,” but their real role was to corral the protest inside the narrow confines of legality, invoking Italy’s Law 185/90, which supposedly prohibits arms exports to countries engaged in conflict.
USB, for its part, filed a formal complaint earlier and invoked the constitution’s repudiation of war in its “Labor Rejects War” manifesto. CALP leader José Nivoi stated plainly that handling such cargo would make workers complicit in war crimes and the genocide in Gaza……
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/08/09/ryao-a09.html
Gaza mourns as Israeli strikes massacre dozens in relentless assault
"Israel" continues its deadly assaults on Gaza, killing aid seekers, journalists, and displaced civilians amid a worsening humanitarian crisis and ongoing siege.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Monday that hospitals have received the bodies of 69 martyrs, including one retrieved from under the rubble, and 362 injuries over 24 hours. Many victims remain trapped beneath debris and along roads, unreachable due to continued bombardment.
Since October 7, 2023, as of August 11, 2025, the death toll of the Israeli genocide in Gaza has surged to 61,499 Palestinians, in addition to 153,575 injuries.
Since March 18, 2025, the toll has risen to 9,989 Palestinians killed and 41,534 wounded.
Moreover, as the Israeli-made famine looms over Gaza, 29 starved Palestinians were killed since early morning, and over 127 were injured while trying to receive aid at designated "aid distribution sites" and were later transported to hospitals, as per the Ministry's report.
The death toll among Palestinians killed while seeking food aid in designated distribution zones has now climbed to 1,807, with more than 13,021 others wounded, according to the report.
The report added that the death toll from starvation and malnutrition in the besieged Strip, with the death of five Palestinians, including one child, has risen to at least 222, among them 101 children.
New Israeli massacre in Khan Younis, al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza
The Gaza Strip has witnessed a new wave of massacres, with dozens martyred and many more wounded in a series of Israeli strikes targeting homes, schools, aid points, and journalists, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza.
From dawn until morning, the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, came under heavy bombardment. Nine Palestinians, including six children, were martyred in an Israeli strike on the area.
Israeli aircraft also targeted Al-Falah School in al-Zaytoun, wounding several people. Civil Defense teams confirmed that three injured people were transported from inside the school following the attack. Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, an Israeli drone strike targeted a residential home in Khan Younis, killing seven people.
The Israeli occupation also launched artillery shelling and helicopter gunfire east of al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, and artillery bombardments on al-Zaytoun and al-Shuja’iyya neighborhoods east of Gaza City.
Additionally, Al-Awda Hospital in al-Nuseirat reported receiving five martyrs in the past 24 hours, including a child, along with 26 injured. These casualties resulted from strikes on gatherings at an aid distribution point south of Wadi Gaza and bombardments on areas in central Gaza. Seven of the wounded were transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital for further treatment.
At dawn, an Israeli drone targeted the journalists’ tent in front of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, killing journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqea, and Mohammad al-Khalidi, photographers Ibrahim Zahir and Mohammed Noufal, and injuring journalist Mohammed Subh.
This latest attack raises the number of journalists martyred by the occupation during the ongoing genocide to 238, per Gaza's Government Media Office.
Anas al-Sharif, journalists targeted, killed by Israeli strike
Israeli occupation forces killed Anas al-Sharif and three other Palestinian journalists in Gaza City, following an incitement campaign.
Palestinian journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammad Qraiqea, and photojournalists Mohammad Nawfal and Ibrahim Daher, were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a tent used by the journalists in the northern Gaza Strip.
The martyred journalist, al-Sharif, had been subject to an Israeli incitement campaign accusing him of being a member of Hamas' armed wing and carrying out rocket launching operations.
However, al-Sharif and Al Jazeera Network, whom he reported for in northern Gaza, denied such claims as completely false.
Al-Sharif subject to an extensive Israeli incitement campaign
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on July 24, 2025, saying that al-Sharif was a target of an Israeli military smear campaign.
"The IDF have made unsubstantiated claims that many of the journalists they deliberately killed in Gaza were terrorists, including four Al Jazeera staff — Hamza Al Dahdouh, Ismail Al Ghoul, Rami Al Refee, and Hossam Shabat. CPJ classifies such cases as murder," the American non-profit explained.
237 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel
The strike on the tent housing the journalists, near al-Shifa Hospital, also injured journalist Mohammad Soboh, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.
Since October 7, 2023, "Israel’s" relentless campaign to silence coverage of its atrocities in Gaza has claimed the lives of 237 journalists. Determined to suppress the truth about the genocide being waged against Palestinians, the occupation systematically targets those striving to document its war crimes. While Palestinian reporters risk, and often lose, their lives to bring the reality of Gaza to the world, "Israel" has further tightened its media blackout by banning foreign journalists from entering the Strip, except under tightly controlled, propagandistic tours escorted by its occupation forces.
Iran, Iraq sign security agreement during Larijani’s visit to Baghdad
Iran and Iraq sign a border security pact during Larijani’s Baghdad visit, discussing regional stability, US-Iran talks, and Gaza.
Iran and Iraq signed a joint security memorandum of understanding on Monday concerning border security coordination between the two countries, during a visit to Iraq by Ali Larijani, the secretary general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The agreement was signed by Larijani and Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Qasim al-Araji, under the auspices of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
During his visit to Baghdad, Larijani and his accompanying delegation met today with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, as well as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji.
Iraqi president affirms commitment to bilateral ties
Rashid and Larijani discussed recent regional and international developments during their meeting, stressing the importance of maintaining constructive dialogue among countries in the region to address crises and to promote the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi presidency.
Rashid emphasized the deep historical ties and shared interests between Iraq and Iran, expressing his country’s commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation frameworks in a way that benefits the peoples of both nations and strengthens the security and stability of the region.
He added that Iraq “is committed to strengthening its policy of positive engagement with all neighboring countries and building partnerships based on shared interests and mutual respect, in a way that consolidates cooperation in security and the economy and contributes to bringing peace and prosperity to the peoples of the region.”
For his part, Larijani expressed his countryﾒs appreciation for Iraq’s stance in supporting regional security and “its role in bringing different parties closer together.”
Al-Sudani calls for US-Iran talks
For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani affirmed “Baghdad’s earnest efforts to develop relations with Tehran and to strengthen fruitful partnerships across various levels and fields, in a way that serves the interests of both peoples.”
Al-Sudani noted Iraq’s position in rejecting the Israeli aggression against Iran and any actions that would escalate conflicts at the regional and international levels, expressing Baghdad’s support for US-Iran talks.
Larijani expressed the Iranian government’s keenness to develop and sustain relations with Iraq across various fields, especially focusing on railway connectivity between the two countries for passenger transport, as well as linking with regional development routes and major corridors shaping the area.
Iraq committed to neighboring countries' security
Iraq’s National Security Advisor affirmed that his government “is working seriously to prevent any security breaches aimed at violating the sovereignty of any neighboring country,” during a meeting between him and Larijani focused on implementing the signed security agreement between the two countries.
The two officials discussed the security situation in the region and the ongoing crimes of starvation and killing of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the urgent need for international action to stop "Israel".
They also discussed strengthening the historical ties between the two countries and ways to expand their cooperation across broader fields, with Larijani praising the Iraqi government and its foreign policy, as well as the positive impact it has had on the security and stability of Iraq and the region.
The US wants Lebanon, Gaza and Iraq to disarm and will fail
In his article, Robert Inlakesh argues that US efforts to disarm Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iraq's PMU are detached from regional realities and will fail, risking greater instability instead of peace.
The US Trump administration not only believes it can disarm Hezbollah, the PMU, and Hamas, but that they will all do so voluntarily. To add to this delusional approach, they continue to demonstrate that by abandoning their weapons, the people of the region will be subjected to endless instability.
Washington based think-tanks are pushing for the dismantlement of the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance through disarmament, the policy being clearly designed to isolate the Islamic Republic in order to also force it into capitulation. However, the approach to achieving this goal is so incredibly out of touch that it may achieve the very opposite results.
Using its Arab Regime allies, particularly the Gulf States, to apply pressure, US envoy Steve Witkoff has attempted to demand of Hamas that it fully disarm. This has been combined with calls from the Pentagon and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for Iraq to dismantle the Popular Mobilization Forces and prevent them from integrating fully within the fold of Baghdad’s security apparatus. Then we have the attempt to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon, an effort led by US envoy Tom Barrack.
Starting with Gaza, the request in and of itself is simply not serious. The al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas would never simply disarm without any guarantees or processes to ensure the protection of the people of the Gaza Strip.
In fact, if we look at the resistance in its entirety in Gaza, they fight as one unit that is inseparable from the people's popular will. Hamas is no longer just a political party, the al-Qassam Brigades armed wing of Hamas is now the resistance of a people suffering through a genocide.
Also, the Palestinian people have the example of the West Bank and what the situation looks like when the resistance is disarmed and abandons the struggle. When Israeli settlements expand, annexation orders are imposed, and ethnic cleansing begins, there will be nobody to even fight back.
The lessons taught to the Palestinian factions in Gaza were learnt in 1982. When the Israelis invaded Lebanon, killing around 20,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) eventually decided to hand over its weapons and its leadership to flee to Tunisia.
Almost immediately afterwards, a series of bloody civilian massacres took place against Palestinian refugees and the Shia Lebanese, killing thousands at a time when no considerable resistance force existed to fight back. Then, the Israelis occupied southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah was born in 1985 out of this experience, as an organic southern resistance which would eventually expel the occupiers in 2000. After the 2006 defeat inflicted on the Zionist regime, the Israelis dared not launch any major aggression against Lebanon for the best part of 17 years.
In the case of Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) were formed in order to put down the Daesh insurgency and liberate the country from a wave of Takfiri death squads. It is a massive force today which exists as a protective mechanism that deters the return of such groups from the country.
Attempting to disband the PMU in Iraq is impossible by force and would lead to a civil war style situation, which could end up resulting in Iraqi groups securing even greater power and popular support inside of the country.
In the case of Lebanon, the fall of Syria’s former government and the way the US has so far handled the situation, has taught the diverse population valuable lessons. Even if the Lebanese leadership will work alongside the US in an attempt to seize Hezbollah’s weapons, it is clear to the populace that disarmament leaves Lebanon open to invasion from Syria and places the country at the will of the Zionist Entity.
If we look over to neighboring Syria, immediately upon the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Zionists invaded and have been attacking at will inside Syria ever since, with no resistance whatsoever. The new regime in Damascus even works alongside the Israelis as they steal more of its land, instead choosing to allow their allied militias to butcher minority communities throughout Syrian lands.
Everything we have seen occur across the region over the past 22 months, with the full support of the United States, teaches the Arab public that capitulation spells the end of their nations and leaves them vulnerable to endless abuses.
It appears, however, that officials and pro-war think-tanks in Washington are not capable of grasping what the reality on the ground truly looks like and how this could very quickly spiral out of control; and not in the US’ favor. None of these groups which form the Axis of Resistance are going to abandon their own people by simply handing over their weapons, especially given the overtly stated intentions of their enemies.
Robert Inlakesh is Political Analyst, Journalist, and Documentary Filmmaker.
