As a Maersk cargo vessel prepares to dock at Casablanca's port on Monday, Moroccan pro-Palestine activists rallied just outside the terminal gates, demanding authorities inspect what they believe to be military cargo destined for Israel.
The ship, Maersk Norfolk, is expected to dock briefly in Casablanca before continuing to the northern port of Tangier on 5 August and eventually to Haifa.
At 7 p.m. on Monday, protesters gathered just meters from the port entrance, chanting slogans condemning what they called Morocco's "quiet complicity" in Israel's war on Gaza.
Some held banners reading "No ports for genocide" and "Israel bombs, Maersk delivers, Morocco allows."
Activists suspect Maersk is using Moroccan ports to transport components of American-made F-35 fighter jets to the Israeli military amid its ongoing genocide of Gaza.
"This is not a normal shipment. These are components that will end up in the hands of the Israeli army", said Ismail Lghazaoui, a member of the Moroccan branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which organised Monday's sit-in.
The protest followed a similar mobilisation on Sunday in Tangier, where the Maersk Atlanta, another ship operated by the same company, docked after departing from Houston, Texas.
Protesters attempted to march on Tangier port but were blocked by police, staging a night sit-in that stretched into the early hours of Monday.
BDS Morocco believes the Atlanta offloaded sensitive cargo in Tangier, which will then be picked up by the Norfolk and transported to Israel.
The group says it possesses detailed documentation, including container numbers and bills of lading, and is urging Moroccan authorities to act.
Moroccan port authorities have repeatedly stated they are "not aware of the contents of containers transiting through global shipping routes or stopping temporarily" at their facilities.
"The authorities cannot say they lack legal tools. In the past, they've inspected containers suspected of carrying drugs. Why not now?" argued Lghazaoui, who was previously taken to trial over statements he made during a pro-Palestine protest.
This is not the first time Maersk ships docking in Moroccan ports have drawn public outrage.
In April, thousands marched in Casablanca and Tangier after investigations by The Ditch and Declassified UK alleged that Maersk was playing a central role in transporting F-35 components to Israel through Moroccan ports.
While Maersk later acknowledged moving parts related to the fighter jet program, the company claimed at the time the shipments were intended for other program participants, not Israel specifically.
In June, Maersk confirmed that its US subsidiary was among "many companies supporting the global F-35 supply chain," which includes Israel among its recipients.
The Moroccan protests echo similar actions across the Mediterranean.
Last year, under pressure from pro-Palestinian groups, Spain denied docking rights to a Maersk vessel suspected of transporting weapons to Israel.
More recently, in June, dockworkers in Fos-sur-Mer, a southern French port near Marseille, refused to load crates of military materials, including firing link systems used in rapid-fire weapons, aboard another Israel-bound cargo vessel.
Their union, CGT, said the move was in protest of Israel's ongoing genocide on Gaza.
Dockworkers in Morocco took similar actions in April, but the action was limited compared to the one in France. While they delayed the ships' journeys, it was not enough to prevent their docking.
BDS Morocco has vowed to keep up the pressure, demanding that authorities inspect the vessel's cargo and block its onward journey if weapons or military materials are found.
Although Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, public sentiment in the Muslim majority country remains strongly aligned with the Palestinian cause.
While relations have cooled since the war began, Morocco's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed last year that diplomatic engagement with Israel remains in place, arguing that dialogue does not equal endorsement of Israeli policy.
Protesters in both Casablanca and Tangier have urged the Moroccan government to take further action by severing diplomatic relations entirely.
"Letting military cargo pass through Moroccan ports violates the country's international obligations", said BDS Morocco, pointing to Morocco's duty under the Genocide Convention not to facilitate the transfer of military-linked goods to Israel — which is currently facing serious allegations of genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
"Either Morocco stands with the victims, or it becomes complicit," the group added.