France approved new military equipment sales to Israel, research finds

Submitted by Pauline Ertel on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 15:33 While President Macron called Gaza 'a spectacle that shames us all', a new report reveals that France approved dozens more military exports to Israel this year

A collective of pro-Palestinian rights groups launches the "nationwide month of protest against French arms sales to Israel" on 1 October 2026 in Paris, France (Pauline Ertel/MEE) Off

France approved 35 new sales of military equipment to Israel between May and September 2026, a new research by rights groups has found.

Jointly investigated by the Palestinian Youth Movement and the French collective Urgence Palestine, the probe documents shipments from French companies to Israel's military, including cooling systems for tanks and missile launchers, helmet visors for helicopter and fighter-jet pilots, connectors and electronic equipment, as well as surveillance systems.

"All were destined for Elbit Systems subsidiaries," the report, seen by Middle East Eye, indicates. Elbit Systems is a leading actor in the Israeli arms industry.

The findings, to be published next week, show that the equipment was manufactured across five regions in France by French companies, including the military conglomerate Thales, which produced and exported control panels used to operate weapons remotely.

These revelations come just months after the two organisations released a first joint investigation in April, which found that France exported more than 525 shipments of military-use equipment to Israel between October 2023 and March 2026.

The April report also documented 117 flights carrying F-35 fighter-jet components departing from Paris's main airport, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

In the new investigation, researchers identified four new suppliers and found that 33 of the 35 shipments passed through CDG airport, of which 32 were transported by Israel's national airline El Al.

The report was released on Thursday during the launch of the "nationwide month of protest against French arms sales to Israel", organised by a coalition of French trade unions, human rights organisations and activist groups including Urgence Palestine, BDS France, Stop Arming Israel and the Association France Palestine Solidarite.

'No way these can be considered defensive'

"Macron says he is ashamed of the murderous spectacle offered by Israel. But he is not ashamed of having allowed 525 shipments of military components destined for Israeli factories to pass through over the course of two years," Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian human rights lawyer who spent years in Israeli prison, said during the launch event.

'Macron says he is ashamed of the murderous spectacle offered by Israel. But he is not ashamed of having allowed 525 shipments of military components destined for Israeli factories'

- Salah Hammouri, human rights lawyer

In his speech at the UN General Assembly last week, President Emmanuel Macron described the situation in Gaza as a "spectacle that shames us all".

"Despite our previous report, despite trade-union and parliamentary mobilisation, and despite all the actions carried out by our organisations, the transfers continue," Hammouri added.

Investigative media and NGOs have repeatedly pointed to deliveries of French military equipment to Israel despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, while MPs have accused the government of a lack of transparency and insufficient parliamentary oversight.

The French government maintains that it halted sales of "offensive" weaponry to Israel in 2024 and that only "defensive" components are being sold. Military‑use exports are regulated through licences that companies must obtain from the government before shipping equipment abroad.

Two days ago, French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin reiterated that France does not supply any offensive weapons to Israel during a parliamentary session.

"When the government authorises the export of components intended to defend Israeli territory and population, it ensures that the equipment is not used against civilian populations," Vautrin said.

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Several media outlets and NGOs have contradicted the government's claims, revealing the continued delivery of electronic components and spare parts, including items used in munitions and drones, that can feed Israel's military supply chain.

Political critics, including MPs and rights organisations, argue that exporting such strategic components amounts to indirectly supporting Israel's military operations in Gaza, calling the distinction between "offensive" and "defensive" equipment misleading.

Middle East Eye spoke to Thomas Nayla, a lawyer working for Urgence Palestine who uncovered the findings with researchers from the Palestine Youth Movement by analysing data bases and using open-source intelligence.

"When you look at all the components that were sold - a cooling system for a tank, a visor for a helicopter pilot - there is no way these can be considered defensive. They are necessarily going into offensive weapons systems," Nayla said.

'Block the chain of complicity'

The lawyer also described a "complete lack of oversight" regarding what is being sent to Elbit subsidiaries.

Hours before the launch event, Nayla told Middle East Eye that he spoke on the phone with one of the French companies identified in the report.

'We are convinced that once workers know what they are manufacturing and what they are transporting, they will refuse to do it'

- Thomas Nayla, lawyer at Urgence Palestine

"They told us: 'Yes, it’s true, we sent these components, but we don’t know what the Elbit Systems subsidiary does with them'," he said.

Half of the companies contacted confirmed the shipments; the other half did not respond, Nayla added.

With the new findings and support from French trade unions, Urgence Palestine hopes to inform the workers at the listed companies about the nature of the shipments.

"We are convinced - and there has already been much evidence - that once workers know what they are manufacturing and what they are transporting, they will refuse to do it," Nayla said.

During the next month, the campaign aims to "give strength and visibility to our call, and share our analysis and possible avenues for action," he added.

"Civil society, trade unions, members of parliament and political parties must work together to block the chain of complicity that allows the Israeli regime to be armed."

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