By Eric Toussaint -Sep 16, 2026In the face of the genocide in Gaza, the BRICS claim to defend international law and the rights of the Palestinian people. Yet their actions largely contradict their statements. Whilst their 18th summit in New Delhi condemns famine, forced displacement and attacks on civilians without even naming Israel as the perpetrator, several member states are increasing their trade with that country. Even more seriously, some are directly participating in its military effort. India, which holds the BRICS presidency in 2026, provides a particularly telling example: its companies are exporting components to Israel intended for the manufacture of ammunition and weapons. The BRICS countries therefore denounce certain consequences of the genocidal war whilst, in the case of several of them, continuing to foster economic and military ties with the state waging it.The 18th BRICS+ summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia), held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026, devoted several paragraphs to Gaza and Palestine [1]. However, a careful reading of the final declaration reveals a shocking reluctance to identify Israel as responsible for the violations it refers to. The text condemns ‘starvation as a method of warfare’, attacks on civilians, healthcare facilities and civilian infrastructure, as well as obstructions to humanitarian aid, but it does not state that Israel is the perpetrator of these acts. It calls, in general terms, on ‘all parties concerned’ to respect international humanitarian law and human rights. Similarly, whilst mentioning the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in South Africa’s case against Israel and reiterating Israel’s legal obligation to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, it does not acknowledge that Israel has failed to comply with these measures. It refers to the ‘illegal occupation’ and calls for an end to it, but without naming Israel as the occupying power responsible for this situation. It condemns the forced displacement of Palestinians and the geographical and demographic changes in Gaza, without describing these policies as ‘ethnic cleansing’. It makes no mention of genocide, nor of the thousands of Palestinians detained without charge or trial, nor of the violence and ill-treatment inflicted on Palestinian prisoners. Even when it refers to the most serious violations of international law, the text thus avoids directly holding the State of Israel to account.The BRICS do not use the term ‘genocide’ and systematically avoid condemning the State of Israel for committing itThis caution is all the more striking given that the statement presents itself as that of a group seeking to give a voice to the Global South and to defend an international order based on law. The BRICS do not use the terms ‘genocide’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’, and they systematically avoid explicitly linking the violations they mention to the State of Israel, which is committing them. This wording allows the group’s members to maintain a minimal common position on Palestine whilst avoiding a direct condemnation of Israel and, above all, any collective decision that might affect their economic, energy, technological or military relations with that state. This unacceptable attitude should be viewed in the context of the increase or continuation of trade between several BRICS members and Israel since October 2023.Another point is worth highlighting: far from declining, trade between several BRICS countries and Israel has increased since the start of the war in Gaza. Between 2024 and 2025, exports to Israel rose by nearly 54 per cent for China [2] and increased tenfold for Russia [3] . Between 2023 and 2025, exports to Israel more than doubled for Egypt [4] and rose by around 51 per cent for Indonesia [5].This trade covers all categories of goods and cannot therefore be equated with arms deliveries. Nevertheless, it contributes indirectly to the functioning of the Israeli economy: imported goods enable Israel to meet part of its civilian and industrial needs and to preserve its resources for other uses, particularly military ones. This development is all the more significant given that the BRICS+ countries present themselves, to varying degrees, as advocates of a multipolar world and a reduction in Western dominance. In reality, their trade relations with Israel reveal the limits of this challenge when it comes to actually undermining the economy that sustains its genocidal war in Gaza.Between 2024 and 2025, exports to Israel rose by nearly 54 per cent for China and increased tenfold for RussiaIndia, which holds the BRICS+ presidency in 2026, has continued to export significant quantities to Israel. Its case is particularly significant. India’s relations with the Israeli defence industry are very significant: Indian companies supply components directly to Israeli arms manufacturers and are involved in the co-production of military systems. Customs documents reveal that, in 2024, Indian companies exported to Israel, amongst other items, 554,120 fragmentation components for ammunition, 50 155 mm projectile bodies, 99,400 ammunition fuses and metal parts for military vehicles. Recipients included Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, IMI Systems and other Israeli defence firms [6] . India is also involved in the production of Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 military drones with Elbit Systems, whilst Indian companies are involved in the production of Israeli missile systems [7] . An Amnesty International report published on 30 July 2026 documents 2,596 shipments of arms, ammunition, parts and components from India to Israel since 7 October 2023. In particular, it identifies 155 mm high-explosive shells, warheads for SkyStriker drones, machine-gun components and parts for armoured vehicles. These are documented military exports, including those by companies owned or controlled by the Indian state. Amnesty lists, in particular, 390,516 components for small arms, 564,970 components for explosive devices and 298 components for military vehicles [8] .With total exports to Israel exceeding US$2 billion, India is therefore not only a major trading partner of Israel: it has become an integral part of its military-industrial complex, including during the war in Gaza.India is a key part of the Israeli military-industrial complex during the genocide in GazaChina, by far the leading BRICS+ country and also Israel’s main trading partner amongst them, with exports worth over 20 billion US dollars, exports commercial drones to Israel (models manufactured notably by DJI and Autel). These drones, originally intended for civilian use, were acquired by the Israeli military and subsequently modified and equipped for military missions, notably to drop explosives and grenades and to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance operations in Gaza. These practices have been documented by investigations by Al Jazeera/Sanad, +972 Magazine and Local Call, as well as by recent Israeli analyses [9] . This demonstrates in concrete terms how part of the trade presented as civilian or commercial can be redirected towards the Israeli military effort, even when it does not initially constitute an arms export in the traditional sense. Furthermore, the Chinese Embassy in Israel stated in April 2025 that the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park was home to ‘nearly 300 Israeli companies and Sino-Israeli joint ventures’, as well as around 60 bilateral technology cooperation projects. However, this does not represent the total number of Israeli companies operating in China. The Changzhou park is merely one of the main hubs of this presence.Furthermore, Brazil supplies certain components and inputs for the Israeli defence industry, notably through the activities of companies linked to Elbit Systems.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) occupies a different position: it is not a major military supplier to Israel, but maintains close cooperation with its defence industry and purchases weapons systems and military technologies from it.The depth of economic relations between the UAE and Israel is particularly striking. In 2025, around 600 Israeli companies were operating in the United Arab Emirates, according to data provided by the Israeli Minister for the Economy, Nir Barkat, and reported by Bloomberg. This figure, far from declining as a result of the war in Gaza, was further confirmed in 2026 by Global Finance. For their part, more than 200 Emirati companies had, by 2023, established partnerships or developed business activities in Israel, according to the Dubai Chamber. The economic momentum sparked by the 2020 normalisation and the Abraham Accords has therefore continued despite the war in Gaza.On the other hand, amongst the BRICS nations, we must commend the particularly courageous role played by South Africa, which has brought in December 2023 a case against Israel before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide and continues, in 2026, to actively defend this case. However, this stance is seriously contradicted by South Africa’s continued coal exports to Israel: approximately 1.8 million tonnes in 2025. Pretoria cites, in particular, WTO rules to justify continuing these exports. This contradiction is all the more difficult to accept given that the energy supplied contributes to the functioning of the Israeli economy; as Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories,: states “Extractive and mining conglomerates, whilst providing sources of civilian energy, have fuelled Israel’s military and energy infrastructure, both of which are used to create living conditions aimed at destroying the Palestinian people.” [10]The uncompromising criticism that must be levelled at the BRICS+ countries, which are maintaining, and in several cases deepening their collaboration with Israel must not obscure the fact that Israel’s main supporters in its genocidal enterprise are the United States and the countries of Western Europe. Washington has supplied the weapons needed to carry out a genocidal military campaign and, at the same time, has shielded Israel from some of the pressure exerted within international institutions.From 7 October 2023, the United States significantly stepped up its military supplies to Israel. From the very first months of the war, Washington organised a veritable airlift of ammunition and equipment. By the end of June 2024, they had already delivered at least 27,100 bombs and missiles, including 14,000 2,000-pound bombs, as well as tens of thousands of artillery and tank shells [11] .In February 2025, the Trump administration announced nearly $3 billion in new arms sales, including 35,529 2,000-pound bombs and 4,000 penetrator warheads, whilst military aid was further stepped up in March 2025 [12]. This policy continued in 2026: the United States remains by far Israel’s main supplier of major arms, ahead of Germany and Italy.These massive arms deliveries from Washington have enabled Israel to pursue a genocidal policy against the Palestinian population.Between October 2023 and August 2026, more than 73,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health cited by the UN. As at 31 December 2025, the 71,444 identified fatalities included 21,283 children and 10,983 women, accounting for more than 45 per cent of the victims. In January 2026, according to Reuters, the Israeli army itself admitted that the figure of around 70,000 deaths was broadly credible [13] .However, this toll remains incomplete. Thousands of Palestinians are still missing, likely buried under the rubble. In August 2026, the Ministry of Health estimated that several thousand additional deaths had not yet been recorded, particularly amongst entire families who went missing during the bombings. The actual number of victims is therefore necessarily higher than the official toll.Added to this is the scale of the destruction. According to the joint assessment by the World Bank, the UN and the European Union published in April 2026, more than 1.2 million people – nearly 60 per cent of Gaza’s population – have lost their homes [14]. Hundreds of thousands of homes, as well as health, education, water and energy infrastructure, have been destroyed or severely damaged.India Delivered Over 2,500 Arms Shipments to Israel During Gaza Genocide: ReportConclusionThe fundamental criticism levelled at the BRICS+ is therefore clear: they are failing to take the necessary measures to sanction Israel, and several of them continue to maintain trade relations – and, in some cases, military cooperation – with its neo-fascist government.One cannot claim to defend Palestine whilst, directly or indirectly, fuelling the economy and military apparatus of the state that is destroying Gaza and reinforcing its policy of apartheid, occupation and colonisation. True solidarity is not measured by summit declarations, but by the concrete decisions they lead to.We must put into practice what the BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) proposes: a military embargo, a halt to arms transfers, divestment from companies and institutions involved in crimes committed against Palestinians, a boycott of complicit companies and the severing of certain institutional ties, particularly in the academic, cultural and sporting spheres [15] . Verbal condemnations are not enough: states must stop providing Israel with the economic, financial, military and institutional means that enable it to pursue its policies. Footnotes[1] BRICS New Delhi Declaration: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability, Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the 18th BRICS Summit, New Delhi, 12 September 2026, paragraphs 30–34, devoted to Palestine, Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Paragraph 30 deals in particular with the implementation of the ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid, the ongoing violence in Gaza and opposition to policies aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians; paragraph 31 reaffirms the rights of the Palestinian people, in particular their right to self-determination and to return, support for the full membership of the State of Palestine in the UN and the two-state solution; paragraph 32 condemns the forced displacement of the Palestinian population and the geographical and demographic changes in Gaza, and refers to the need to end the ‘illegal occupation’; paragraph 33 addresses violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, in particular the use of starvation as a method of warfare, attacks on civilians, healthcare facilities and civilian infrastructure, as well as the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and refers to the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in the case of South Africa v. Israel; paragraph 34 concerns, in particular, Jerusalem and the protection of holy sites. Full text of the BRICS New Delhi Declaration published on 12 September 2026 on India’s official website: https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/brics-new-delhi-declaration-building-for-resilience-innovation-cooperation-and-sustainability-september-12-2026 accessed on 13 September 2026[2] Between 2023 and 2025, Israeli imports from China rose by 28 per cent, from $16.33 billion to $20.79 billion. It should be noted that between 2023 and 2024, they had fallen to $13.53 billion. However, between 2024 and 2025, in the midst of the genocide, they rose sharply from $13.53 billion to $20.79 billion, representing a 54 per cent increase in one year. https://trendonify.com/imports/israel/china accessed 13 September 2026.[3] In 2025, Russian exports to Israel rose sharply compared with 2024, rising from $238 million to $2.36 billion. They therefore increased tenfold. The main exported goods are steel and iron in various forms (worth over $1 billion), cereals worth $460 million and fuels worth $291 million. Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/israel/imports/russia accessed on 14 September 2026.[4] Egyptian exports to Israel rose from $145.31 million in 2023 to $284.22 million in 2024 and $304.06 million in 2025. They therefore more than doubled between 2023 and 2025 (+109 per cent). Source: UN Comtrade, data sourced from Trendonify, ‘Egypt Exports to Israel’, https://trendonify.com/exports/egypt/israel, accessed 14 September 2026.[5] Indonesian exports to Israel reached 250.18 million dollars in 2025, compared with 165.77 million in 2023, representing an increase of approximately 51 per cent. Source: UN Comtrade, data cited by Trading Economics, ‘Indonesia Exports to Israel’, https://tradingeconomics.com/indonesia/exports/israel, accessed 14 September 2026.[6] Al Jazeera, ‘Not just the US: India to Brazil, 51 nations armed Israel amid Gaza war’, 23 May 2026, an investigation based in particular on 91 Indian customs documents from 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/5/23/not-just-the-us-india-to-brazil-51-nations-armed-israel-amid-gaza-war, accessed on 14 September 2026.[7] Al Jazeera, ‘India exports rockets and explosives to Israel amid the Gaza war, documents reveal’, 26 June 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/6/26/india-exports-rockets-explosives-to-israel-amid-gaza-war-documents-reveal accessed 14 September 2026; Reuters, ‘Israel’s military exports to top buyer India unaffected by Gaza war’, 23 February 2024, https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/israels-military-exports-top-buyer-india-unaffected-by-gaza-war-2024-02-23/, accessed 14 September 2026.[8] Amnesty International, ‘India: Continuing weapons exports to Israel could risk complicity in ongoing genocide in Gaza – new investigation’, 30 July 2026, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/india-continuing-weapons-exports-to-israel-could-risk-complicity-in-ongoing-genocide-in-gaza-new-investigation, accessed 14 September 2026.[9] Al Jazeera/Sanad, ‘Israel retrofitting DJI commercial drones to bomb and surveil Gaza’, 8 May 2025; +972 Magazine/Local Call, ‘Like a video game: Israel enforcing Gaza evacuations with grenade-firing drones’, 10 July 2025; INSS, ‘From Red to Blue-and-White: The Strategic Necessity of Developing the Israeli Drone Industry’, 7 July 2026 https://www.inss.org.il/publication/israeli-drones/ accessed 14 September 2026. The investigations document, in particular, the use of DJI Agras, Mavic and Avata drones, as well as Autel EVO drones, which have been modified or deployed by the Israeli military in Gaza.[10] Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, ‘From the Economy of Occupation to the Economy of Genocide’, 2025. The full report in French is available online: https://docs.un.org/fr/A/HRC/59/23 And in English: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-hrc-59-23-from-economy-of-occupation-to-economy-of-genocide-report-special-rapporteur-francesca-albanese-palestine-2025/ accessed on 14 September 2026.[11] Reuters, ‘US has sent Israel thousands of 2,000-pound bombs since 7 October’, published on 29 June 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/us-has-sent-israel-thousands-2000-pound-bombs-since-oct-7-2024-06-28 accessed on 14 September 2026.[12] Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), ‘Israel – Munitions and Munitions Support’, 28 February 2025. https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4088258/israel-munitions-and-munitions-support accessed 14 September 2026. The notification relates to a sale of 35,529 MK-84 or BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 penetrating warheads, with an estimated value of $2.04 billion. Other sales announced at the same time include nearly 5,000 1,000-pound bombs with guidance kits and D9 bulldozers.[13] Reuters, “Israel military reported to accept death toll of around 70,000 in Gaza”, published on 30 January 2026, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-military-reported-accept-death-toll-around-70000-gaza-2026-01-30/, accessed 14 September 2026.[14] European Union, United Nations and World Bank, “Gaza Strip Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA)”, published on 20 April 2026, https://www.un.org/unispal/document/report-gaza-strip-rapid-damage-20apr26 accessed on 14 September 2026.[15] BDS National Committee, ‘This Ramadan, let’s escalate the boycott of companies implicated in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians’, 2026: the movement calls for an end to Israel’s ‘impunity’ through ‘meaningful accountability measures’ and for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (Boycott, Divest, Sanction), https://bdsmovement.net/news-type/action-alert?page=1&utm BDS National Committee, ‘The Military Embargo is Here’, 26 April 2025: BDS calls for a military embargo to be imposed on Israel and asserts that third-party states must take action to end their complicity in Israeli genocide, occupation and apartheid. https://bdsmovement.net/Military-Embargo-Is-Here accessed 14 September 2026. Eric Toussaint is a historian and political scientist who completed his Ph.D. at the universities of Paris VIII and Liège, is the spokesperson of the CADTM International, and sits on the Scientific Council of ATTAC France.(CADTM)