[1/2] Shipping containers move at the port of Barcelona, after stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, in Barcelona, Spain, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsBARCELONA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Barcelona port stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, following a similar move by Belgian transport unions last week. The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday. He said he was convinced there were military shipments from Barcelona because "it's a port that moves all types of goods". Israel has been targeting Hamas military operations in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas Islamists on Israeli towns that left 1,400 people dead and 240 abducted.

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Persons: stevedores, Josep Maria Deop, Deop, EFE, Joan Faus, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Shipping, REUTERS, Rights, stevedores, Reuters, Western, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Gaza, Spain, Rights BARCELONA, Belgian, Barcelona's, Israel, Libya, Western Sahara, Nicaragua