The Egyptian Armed Forces rejected recent claims circulating on social media suggesting support for Israel in its military operations, according to an official statement from the army’s spokesperson on Thursday, 31 October.
“We encourage everyone to confirm the accuracy of any information shared and emphasize that the Armed Forces serve as the nation’s shield and sword, dedicated to safeguarding its resources and defending its great people,” the statement read.
This comes after several reports online indicating that a German-flagged vessel named MV Kathrin, which was transporting explosive materials destined for Israel’s largest military company, Elbit Systems, arrived at Egypt’s Port of Alexandria this week after being turned away by several countries, including Malta. This was seen through vessel-tracking websites such as Marine Traffic.
However, Lubeca Marine, based in Germany and owner of the MV Kathrin, stated that the ship “was never scheduled to make any port calls in Israel.” It recently unloaded its cargo, which was originally destined for Bar, Montenegro, although the specific discharge location has not been revealed, Reuters reports.
On Wednesday, human rights lawyers submitted a court appeal in Berlin to halt the shipment of approximately 150 metric tons of military-grade explosives on the MV Kathrin. They allege that these explosives are intended for Israel’s largest defense contractor, as reported by Reuters.
A day later, the Egyptian Ministry of Transport clarified that the ship docked in Alexandria to unload a shipment for the Ministry of Military Production. They also noted that the ship has submitted an official request to depart for Turkey.
Since the war on Gaza began last October, Israel has launched an intense bombing campaign, with local health authorities reporting over 43,000 strikes to date.
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