By Staff, Agencies

Protesters opposing the US' military aid for the Zionist entity, which is waging a hugely deadly war against the Gaza Strip, have blocked the departure of a military supply ship reportedly earmarked for delivering weapons to the ‘Israeli’-occupied Palestinian territories.

The crowd of roughly 200 protesters turned up at the Port of Oakland on Saturday, blocking the vessel's departure for Washington, where they said it was to be loaded with weapons destined for the occupied territories.

Several protesters climbed a ladder on the side of the vessel attached to a cargo hatch.

The protest was organized by the San Francisco-based Arab Resource Organizing Center.

"The community became aware that the ship was headed to ‘Israel’ to carry military cargo to the apartheid ‘state’ of ‘Israel’ because of the courage of crewmembers who decided not to take this job," said Lara Kiswani, the group's executive director.

"I'm here at the Port of Oakland with a group that's protesting the departure of this ship that is planning to deliver weapons to ‘Israel’ in support of the genocide of innocent people in Gaza," said protester Becca Lewis.

"The goal is to get the ship workers to stand in solidarity with the movement of people who are concerned about the shipment of weapons," she said.

The United States, ‘Israel's’ biggest and oldest ally, has provided the regime with thousands of arms consignments since October 7, when ‘Tel Aviv’ started the yet-ongoing war against Gaza.

On Friday, the 28th day of ‘Israel’s’ genocidal attacks on the coastal territory, the death toll reached at least 9,227 people, including 3,826 children and more than 2,405 women. At least 23,516 people have been wounded.

The Zionist regime launched the war after Gaza's resistance groups conducted Operation al-Aqsa Flood, their biggest operation against the occupying entity in years.

Since the onset of the war, the US has backed ‘Tel Aviv's’ ferocious attacks on the Palestinian territory as a means of "self-defense."

Washington has also been casting its veto against the United Nations Security Council resolution that calls on the occupying regime to cease its aggression.