Activists demand end to transfer of military materials to Israel through New York's JFK Airport

Activists, joined by New York State Senator Jabari Brisport, gathered outside the World Trade Center on Thursday, protesting against the transportation of military-related materials through JFK International Airport (JFK). The protest, organised under the “Break the Chain” campaign led by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), comes amid reporting from The Intercept that Challenge Airlines cargo flights have transported materials including nitrocellulose, bomb casings and guidance kits from JFK to Israel. Open-source data documented in the report reveals weapons flown out of JFK are tied to mass casualty attacks in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Challenge Airlines is an Israel-based cargo airline and logistics company founded in 1976. The Intercept reported that thousands of pounds worth of parts for "bunker-buster" bombs went through JFK during the height of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The war began on 28 February. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Break the Chain says that military cargo bound for Israel passes through JFK Airport regularly, sometimes multiple times a week, and that civilian infrastructure should not be used for the benefit of the Israeli military. Protesters, including members of Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, Democratic Socialists of America, and Brooklyn for Peace called for an end to the shipments and greater accountability from the Port Authority, which has jurisdiction over JFK Airport. Palestinian Youth Movement activist Ibtihal Aboussad brought up the possibility that the weapons shipments contributed to the recent bombing of Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza that killed at least six people, including Dr Rizk Abu Shaira. “The precision bomb Israel used to strike this hospital now for the seventh time was an American bomb manufactured by Boeing, paid for by American taxpayers, and perhaps shipped out of JFK - an airport that functions mere miles away from us.” As of March 2025, at least 1,722 healthcare workers have been killed by Israel in the war on the enclave, according to the United Nations. The war has been deemed a genocide by the UN and Holocaust scholars. Over 74,500 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Public safety Senator Brisport believes civilians travelling through JFK face a public safety risk. Jabari spoke at the Port Authority board meeting on Thursday, with his main concern being the nitrocellulose being shipped through JFK to Israel, according to The Intercept report. Brisport cited an explosion that involved nitrocellulose in a China port around a decade ago that killed around 170 individuals. He believes that this safety concern should be grounds to halt these shipments. Israeli companies linked to Gaza genocide to head to India for tech summits Read More » “In your own airport rules and regulations, Section 13, part A, it states that any material defined by a federal regulation, or the international civil aviation organization, as hazardous, poisonous, explosive, or radioactive, may not be handled without the prior permission, but the port authority. So, I'm asking you to publicly release your agreements related to Challenge Airlines, that is the airline that carried nitrocellulose and other explosives at JFK Airport, as well as any other airline passenger or cargo that is shipping and handling hazardous materials.” A spokesperson for the Port Authority told Middle East Eye that it is doing all it can to ensure public safety and defers responsibility to individual airlines and the federal government for what is allowed to be shipped on aircraft. Ibrahim Mossallam, a commercial airline pilot, testified before the Port Authority board on Thursday. “As a commercial airline pilot, I do not know exactly what is being transported on my passenger flights. Not all military parts and supplies are categorised as hazardous material to be reported. Learning that we are indeed transporting this material, that may also be explosive in nature, to aid one side or another in an active military zone is extremely unsettling.” Mossallam told MEE that he feels betrayed by the US government and the airlines, saying pilots and passengers are at risk when dangerous materials are transported in the same aircraft. As a Palestinian and a pilot, the issue hits close to home. “You almost feel like you're being forced to be a part of this onslaught that's being done by our government to our policy and counterparts there.” Mossallam is demanding that the Port Authority stop allowing airlines to ship weapons through both JFK and Newark Airport on all planes bound for Israel.