Protesters block Port of Tacoma trying to delay military vessel headed to Israel

Pro-Palestinian protesters at the Port of Tacoma on Monday attempted to block what they believe is a boat loaded with weapons and military equipment heading to the Middle East.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the port said weapons headed to Israel were being shipped directly from the Port of Tacoma.

Read more here: Seattle protesters want the Israel-Hamas war to stop

“Confidential sources say that the vessel will be loaded with weapons and military equipment in Tacoma, with a final destination in Israel,” a news release from the Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) said.

Those claims could not immediately be corroborated. In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, confirmed that the vessel — the Cape Orlando — is under the control of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command and is supporting the movement of U.S. military cargo.

“Due to operations security, DoD does not provide transit or movement details or information regarding the cargo embarked on vessels of this kind,” McGarry said.

KIRO Newsradio was on the scene and asked protest organizers why a ship on the West Coast would be assigned to this given it would have an extremely long journey— they could not provide an answer on that so they reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for details.

Some signs on the scene displayed at the protest read “No aid for Israel” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and waiving Palestinian flags.

Alon Lapid, one of the organizers of the protest, said he believes the ship is headed to Israel.

“These kinds of vessels are not activated for no reason,especially in times of active warfare being waged on Palestinians,” Lapid said to KIRO Newsradio.

The Cape Orlando drew similar protests in Oakland, California, where it docked Friday before it sailed to Tacoma. About 300 protesters delayed its departure, and the U.S. Coast Guard detained three people who climbed onto the ship.

The three were released on a pier in San Francisco, Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel said Monday. He said investigations are ongoing against the three and others who had breached the federal maritime area.

The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has passed 10,000, the Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday. About 1,400 Israelis have died since Hamas attacked a music festival Oct. 7.

Troops are expected to enter Gaza City soon, Israeli media reported, and Palestinian militants who have had years to prepare are likely to fight street by street, launching ambushes from a vast network of tunnels.

The group of protesters in Tacoma is calling on Congress and President Joe Biden to orchestrate a ceasefire in Gaza.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Sam Campbell and Kate Stone, KIRO Newsradio