Albania, among the main suppliers of Israel's war in Gaza: It risks being accused of war crimes

A war requires capacity, especially when it takes place over a long period of time and at a high level of fighting.

It has also happened with Israel and Hamas since October 7, 2023, when an attack by the terrorist organization Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis in the south of the country, after a sudden and unforeseen incursion.

However, what followed was even harsher and more brutal, with the Jewish state immediately taking steps to retaliate, among the harshest ever in the Middle East.

In Gaza above all, the bombings and attacks have killed at least 46,000 people, and of them, it is thought that half are children and a large part are civilian women, and not Hamas fighters, as is often claimed by Israel.

But even the latter would not be able to have the continuity they have without logistical support, and the latter does not only come with modern weapons and funds.

War requires fuel, and the latter, Israel imports, since the production capacity for what it consumes is only 1.1% of the total.

Thus, the Allies must supply the Jewish state with fuel.

A new report from the organization Oil Change International reveals that Albania is among the 11 countries that supply fuel to Israel, despite the recent decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that states that Israel's actions in Gaza may constitute genocide.

The report, titled "Behind the Barrel: New Insights into the Countries and Companies Behind Israel's Fuel Supply," notes that oil shipments continue to support Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and the destruction of Palestinian homes in the West Bank.

The list includes major allies such as the USA, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and even Vladimir Putin's Russia.

But what stands out the most in our context is that Albania is among the 11 countries that are supplying Israel's war.

The report notes this, also presenting a distribution scheme, where Albania is actually fourth on the list, after the USA, Russia and Brazil, as a country that has supplied Israel with refined oil, which is mainly used for two main goals: Loading fighter jets and loading bulldozers.

It is not specified whether Albania is among the countries that supply the most fuel for warplanes, or oil for heavy tonnage vehicles.

According to the report, the fact that Albania has supplied Israel even more than large countries such as neighboring Greece or neighboring Italy, which have wider capacities, also stands out.

The Oil Change International report tracked 65 fuel shipments to Israel for this report, from where it also derived the results, where the last shipments were reported in July 2024.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Gabon are the countries that have made the biggest moves, supplying Israel with about ¾ of its oil needs

One of the most important aspects of this report is that the suppliers of the fuel can be considered legally involved in war crimes and genocide, since they know the harmful effects of this fuel on Israeli military operations.

Dr. Irene Pietropaoli from the British Institute of International and Comparative Law emphasized that companies and countries that supply Israel with oil must respect international humanitarian law and may face legal consequences for the material assistance they provide in these acts.