A port workers’ union has decided to stop handling weaponised cargo and ships carrying military materials to Israel on the ground that such ammunition can be used against the people of Gaza.

T. Narendra Rao, general secretary of the Water Transport Workers Federation of India (WTWFI), which represents more than 3,500 workers from 11 major ports in the country, has written to members not to handle military cargo ships bound for Israel.

His letter said the union would always stand against war and the killing of innocent people like women and children. The recent attack by Israel on Gaza has pushed thousands of Palestinians into immense suffering and loss, it said.

“Women and children have been blown to pieces in the war. Parents were unable to recognise their children killed in bombings which were exploding everywhere. At this juncture, our Union members have collectively decided to refuse handling all types of weaponised cargo. Loading and unloading these weapons helps provide organisations with the ability to kill innocent people,” it said.

“We, the Indian port and dock workers from various major ports active in the ground of cargo handling sector, call on our members to no longer handle any ships which carry military material to Palestine/ Israel. We therefore also call for an immediate ceasefire.

“As responsible trade unions, we declare our solidarity with those who campaign for peace. We call upon the workers of the world and peace-loving people to stand with the demand of free Palestine.”

Rao told The Telegraph that the war had triggered a humanitarian crisis and that no peace-loving person or association could support the war.

He said there were five port workers’ federations in India. The WTWFI has been the first to declare a boycott of loading and unloading for military ships bound for Israel.

Rao said that ever since the war began on October 7, 2023, no military cargo ship had gone to Israel from India. The letter was meant to sensitise the workers so that they would be alert about the possibility of having to handle military cargo for Israel-bound ships.