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Maryam Shalaby, an Egyptian software engineer based in Cairo, has resigned from US technology giant Microsoft, accusing the company of complicity in what she described as “Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip”.

She is the latest in a growing number of Microsoft employees to resign in protest over the company’s ties to the Israeli government. Others who have stepped down in recent months include Ibtihal Aboussad, Vaniya Agrawal, and an employee publicly known as Joe.

In a company-wide email sent on Monday, June 16, Shalaby announced her resignation, stating that she could no longer remain at a firm which, in her view, enables military operations responsible for large-scale civilian suffering.

“Microsoft was a dream company for many, including me,” Shalaby wrote. “When I first joined, I was excited about the opportunity to work at a company that incubates brilliant minds and promotes strong ethical standards.”

Her concerns reportedly intensified after learning more about Microsoft’s contracts with Israel’s ministry of defence, particularly the use of its Azure cloud services and artificial intelligence tools.

She referenced a United Nations report published in May 2025, which stated that more than 54,000 Palestinians, including over 15,000 children, had been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. The same report described the impact of the blockade on humanitarian aid as a violation of international law.

Rather than taking a principled stance, Shalaby alleged that Microsoft has “actively empowered violence” through its technological support.

She also criticised the company’s internal culture, accusing leadership of censoring employee communications and retaliating against staff who raised ethical objections. “They ignored employee and media concerns for months and are now trying to silence those speaking up,” she wrote.

Shalaby pointed to a recent Microsoft blog post, in which the company admitted to providing “special access” to its technologies while claiming it had no visibility into how customers used them. She described the statement as a failed attempt to manage public image.

In her message, Shalaby urged fellow employees to continue speaking out internally or to resign in protest. “Not doing anything is no longer an option,” she wrote, an appeal echoed by the campaign.

Her resignation was publicly endorsed by No Azure for Apartheid, a campaign led by Microsoft workers demanding that the company end all contracts with the Israeli military. “We stand with Maryam,” the group stated. “We echo her call to demand answers and divest from all IOF partnerships. Silence is no longer an option.”

In May, Microsoft confirmed that its cloud and AI services are used by Israel’s Defence Ministry, but denied involvement in attacks on civilians. It also acknowledged providing limited emergency support to the Israeli government following the October 7 Hamas-led assault, which it said was aimed at assisting hostage rescue operations.