German Chancellor Friedrich Merz responded Friday to the Israeli Diplomatic-Security Cabinet's decision on Gaza operations by announcing that Germany will halt all weapons exports to Israel until further notice.
According to Merz's statement, who has expressed support for Israel and its war against Hamas in the past, all weapons that could serve the IDF in fighting in the Gaza Strip are banned from export.
"The German government believes that the even tougher military action in the Gaza Strip decided upon by the Israeli cabinet last night makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals can be achieved. Under these circumstances, the German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," the Chancellor's statement read.
"The German government remains deeply concerned about the continued suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. With the planned attack, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility to provide for them. It must enable comprehensive access to aid shipments, including to UN organizations and other non-governmental institutions. Following the proper steps taken in recent days, Israel must continue to comprehensively and sustainably improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," according to the statement.
"Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas terrorism. Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release are the top priority right now. Hamas must not have any role in Gaza's future," Merz said.
Significant arms supplier
Germany is a significant arms supplier to Israel, and the scope of defense exports from it to Israel has risen significantly in recent years, especially after the October 7 events.
More than 30% of Israel's defense imports come from Germany, and it is the second-largest arms supplier by volume after the US. However, there have also been reports of reductions or freezing of certain weapons exports to Israel from Germany, mainly against the backdrop of the Iron Swords war and claims of violating international law.
In 2024 alone, Germany exported weapons to Israel worth more than 160 million euros. During the war, Germany approved weapons exports to Israel worth more than 1.8 billion shekels ($507 million), according to a report submitted to the Bundestag last June.
Germany has previously supplied Israel with shells, spare parts for tanks and armored personnel carriers, explosives, small arms, and equipment for warships. Israel has purchased submarines and warships manufactured by shipyards in Germany. Additionally, Germany has previously supplied Israel with engines for tanks and armored vehicles manufactured by the Israeli defense industry.
Despite the fact that it is not clear at this stage what and how much Germany will ban from importing to Israel, damage to the flow of spare parts for the IDF, which is on its way to very intensive activity in the Strip, could complicate routine functioning and worsen the wear and tear problem in some of the systems used by the military.
