A group of masked individuals in Spain’s Basque region vandalized six light rail trains manufactured by the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) that were reportedly destined for Tel Aviv, Israel. The incident, which occurred in early June, involved smashing windows and spraying red paint on the trains while they were stored in the Navarre region. Authorities indicated this damage could delay the scheduled delivery of the trains.

The perpetrators claimed responsibility through a statement explaining that they targeted the trams after identifying Hebrew markings that indicated their destination was Tel Aviv. “We discovered where CAF stores the trams that are heading to Tel Aviv, because they were marked in Hebrew, and faced with that, we did not remain passive,” the group said.

Israel’s Metropolitan Mass Transit System (NTA), responsible for the Purple Line light rail project in Tel Aviv, confirmed that CAF notified them about the attack. According to NTA, the vandalism included anti-Israeli slogans painted on the carriages in addition to the window damage. The organization said CAF has managed the necessary repairs and cleaning, and that the incident will not affect the progress of the Purple Line project.

CAF has been involved in several light rail projects in Israel, including the Jerusalem Light Rail’s Green Line tram and the extension of the Red Line running partially through East Jerusalem. This involvement attracted scrutiny in September 2025 when the United Nations listed CAF among 158 companies with activities raising "human rights concerns" in the West Bank. The designation resulted from CAF’s participation in infrastructure projects in occupied territories.

In response to the UN report, CAF acknowledged the complexities surrounding the Jerusalem projects, including legal and ethical issues related to international humanitarian law and corporate responsibility. The company stated it conducted multiple layers of due diligence before undertaking the work. CAF also emphasized that the tram system serves diverse populations, noting that the Arab community constitutes a significant portion of its users.

Tensions surrounding CAF’s operations have escalated beyond the vandalism. In April 2026, a coalition of Basque, Catalan, Spanish, and Palestinian organizations filed a formal complaint against CAF at Spain’s National Court. The coalition, which includes groups such as NOVACT, Comunitat Palestina de Catalunya, and the Committee of Solidarity with the Arab Cause, alleges that CAF supports the occupation of Palestine. The Prosecutor’s Office has accepted the case, which is being represented by the Guernica 37 Centre.

Meanwhile, the Basque group Palestinarikaren, aligned with the Basque branch of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, has organized ongoing protests at CAF-linked facilities across the region, including locations in Beasain, Zornotza, Irun, and Castejón. They have pledged to continue their demonstrations in the coming days, calling attention to CAF’s activities in Israel and the occupied territories.