Greece has emerged as one of the principal suppliers of refined petroleum products to Israel during its two‑year offensive in Gaza, according to a new analysis presented at the UN climate summit in Brazil. The report, published by advocacy group Oil Change International, warns that fossil fuel exports to Israel may put supplier states at risk of complicity in genocide under international law.
According to Le Monde, which first reported on the findings in partnership with Agence France-Presse, the study titled “Behind the Barrel” examined oil shipments to Israel between November 1, 2023, and October 1, 2025. During this period, 25 countries were responsible for 323 shipments of crude and refined petroleum products, totaling 21.2 million metric tons. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan dominated crude supplies, providing about 70% of crude shipments, while Russia, Greece and the United States were identified as the top exporters of refined products.
Oil Change International argues that the same fossil-fuel system driving the climate crisis is also enabling large‑scale violence in Gaza. “States risk becoming complicit in genocide under international law, under the Genocide Convention,” said Shady Khalil of Oil Change International, as quoted in the report’s coverage. The group commissioned research firm Data Desk to compile and analyze international shipping data for the study.
The legal stakes identified in the report are significant. A UN Commission has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful. Under the ICJ’s interim orders, states are obliged to prevent and punish genocide, which experts say may extend to their trade and military relationships.
“States must consider that their military or other assistance to Israel's military operations in Gaza may put them at risk of being complicit in genocide under the Genocide Convention,” said Irene Pietropaoli, a senior fellow in business and human rights at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
The report highlights the United States as the sole supplier of JP‑8, a jet‑fuel blend designed for military aircraft, underscoring the blurred line between commercial and military-oriented energy flows. When asked whether it was important to distinguish between civilian and military uses of imported fuel, Ana Sanchez Mera, coordinator for the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine, argued that “it is one system of settler colonial occupation,” pointing to Israel’s electricity grid, which serves both Israel and occupied Palestinian territories and relies in part on coal.
Some countries have already moved to curtail energy exports to Israel. In August 2024, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced a formal suspension of coal exports. In Brazil, while official data suggests the last direct oil shipment to Israel occurred in March 2024, trade union sources have alleged that some Brazilian exports may have been rerouted through Italy.
For Greece, being named alongside Russia and the United States as a leading supplier of refined products raises complex questions about its role both as an EU member state and as a regional energy hub.
Photo: Gemini AI