Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Thursday evening with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, expressing disappointment over Berlin's decision to freeze arms exports to Israel meant for the war in Gaza.
"Instead of supporting Israel's just war against Hamas, which perpetrated the most brutal attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by imposing an arms embargo on Israel," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister emphasized that Israel's objective is not to conquer Gaza but to free it from Hamas and enable the establishment of a peaceful civilian administration.
Merz earlier referenced the Israeli cabinet's decision to approve the military conquest of the Gaza Strip, announcing that Germany would halt all military exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza war.
"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.
Germany is one of Israel's main arms suppliers, with security exports rising significantly in recent years, especially after the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist massacre.
More than 30% of Israel's defense imports come from Germany, making it the country's second-largest arms supplier after the US. However, there have been reports of Berlin scaling back or freezing certain arms shipments to Israel, particularly amid the ongoing Iron Swords War and allegations of violations of international law.
