The ongoing conflict in Gaza, marked by relentless Israeli military operations and unprecedented devastation, has raised serious questions about the complicity of global governments and oil corporations in potential war crimes. As Israeli tanks, jets, and bulldozers continue to bombard Gaza and demolish homes in the occupied West Bank, new research suggests that the fuel powering these operations comes from a growing number of countries, including those bound by the genocide and Geneva conventions. Legal experts warn that these nations and corporations may be complicit in serious crimes against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza in October, four tankers of American jet fuel, primarily used for military aircraft, have been shipped to Israel. Three of these shipments departed from Texas after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark ruling on January 26, ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. The ICJ ruling reminded states that under the genocide convention, they have a “common interest to ensure the prevention, suppression, and punishment of genocide.” Despite this, nearly 80 percent of the jet fuel, diesel, and other refined petroleum products supplied to Israel by the U.S. over the past nine months were shipped after the ICJ ruling, according to research commissioned by the non-profit organization Oil Change International.
The new research, shared exclusively with The Guardian, analyzed shipping logs, satellite images, and other open-source industry data to track 65 oil and fuel shipments to Israel between October 21 and July 12. The findings reveal that a handful of countries—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Gabon, Nigeria, Brazil, and most recently, the Republic of the Congo and Italy—supplied 4.1 million tons of crude oil to Israel during this period, with almost half of these shipments occurring after the ICJ ruling. An estimated two-thirds of the crude came from investor-owned and private oil companies, which is refined by Israel for domestic, industrial, and military use.
Israel relies heavily on crude oil and refined petroleum imports to operate its large fleet of fighter jets, tanks, and other military vehicles, as well as the bulldozers used to clear Palestinian homes and olive groves to make way for unlawful Israeli settlements. The continued supply of these critical resources raises significant concerns about the role of these countries and companies in fueling the conflict and enabling Israel’s military actions.
In response to these findings, UN and international law experts have called for an energy embargo to prevent further human rights violations against the Palestinian people. They have also urged an investigation into any oil and fuels shipped to Israel that may have been used to aid acts of alleged genocide and other serious international crimes. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, emphasized the gravity of the situation: “After the 26 January ICJ ruling, states cannot claim they did not know what they were risking to partake in. Under international law, states have obligations to prevent genocide and respect and ensure respect for the Geneva conventions.”
The official death toll in Gaza has nearly doubled to at least 40,000 since the ICJ ruling, with thousands more Palestinians maimed, injured, and missing under the rubble, presumed dead since Israel launched its retaliation for the deadly Hamas attack on October 7. About 96 percent of Gaza’s 2.15 million Palestinians are facing crisis levels of hunger, with food sources destroyed by military attacks and humanitarian aid severely curtailed.
The United States, the largest supplier of fuel and weapons to Israel, has continued its policy of support despite the ICJ ruling. Last week, the U.S. released $3.5 billion to Israel to spend on U.S.-made weapons and military equipment, followed by an additional $20 billion in weapons sales, including 50 fighter jets, tank ammunition, and tactical vehicles. These actions have been heavily criticized by international legal experts, who argue that they increase Israel’s capacity to commit serious violations of international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“The case for the U.S.’s complicity in genocide is very strong,” said Dr. Shahd Hammouri, a lecturer in international law at the University of Kent and the author of the report Shipments of Death. “It’s providing material support, without which the genocide and other illegalities are not possible. The question of complicity for the other countries will rely on the assessment of how substantial their material support has been.”
Brazil, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been one of the sharpest critics of Israel, accounts for 9% of the total crude oil supplied to Israel in the past nine months. One of the crude shipments departed in February after the interim ICJ ruling. An additional tanker of fuel oil, used mostly for heating and powering generators, set sail in April. Despite Lula’s vocal opposition to Israel’s actions, Brazil has yet to issue a ban on oil exports to Israel, highlighting the contradiction between the government’s public stance on human rights and its continued economic ties with Israel.
Azerbaijan, the largest supplier of crude to Israel since October, will host the 29th UN climate summit in November, followed by Brazil in 2025. This inconsistency has drawn criticism from international observers. Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment, expressed concern: “The inconsistency of the states is worrisome, as the future COP hosts send oil to an unlawful occupation and alleged genocide. It shows how far we are from compliance with climate commitments and international law, and the urgent need to change course.”
“History is watching us,” said Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, an American pediatric intensive care physician who volunteered in Gaza. “I hope that the international community recognizes the irony and hypocrisy of what we continue to fund and chooses to finally stand by the values of human rights and justice that we claim to stand by.”
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