Germany stops military exports to Israel amid Gaza plan
Germany announced on August 8th that it will suspend all military exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, in response to Israel’s plan to fully occupy the enclave, Middle East Eye via Reuters reported.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said exports would be halted “until further notice,” expressing concern and solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians, who face Israeli-imposed starvation and human rights abuses. Germany has been Israel’s second-largest arms supplier, after the United States.
Merz reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to disarm Hamas and secure the release of hostages but warned that these objectives were being impeded by Israel’s latest military strategy. “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,” he said in a statement.
“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 announcement followed the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. The operation is set to begin with the “takeover” of Gaza City and the clearance of roughly one million Palestinian residents.
While official statements used the term “takeover,” Israeli outlet Ynet reported that “occupy” was deliberately avoided to circumvent the legal obligations tied to formal occupation under international law. A senior Israeli official told local media that that the true objective is occupation.
In its statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said the Israeli army would provide “humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones.”
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2023 Germany supplied 47% of Israel’s total imports of conventional arms, with the US providing 53%. That year, Germany approved €326.5 million worth of arms exports to Israel.
On March 1st last year, Nicaragua filed a case against Germany at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of complicity in genocide in Gaza due to its continued military, financial, and political support for Israel since the war began in October 2023.
In June 2025, the German parliament confirmed that between October 7th, 2023, and May 13th, 2025, Germany had granted €485 million ($564 million) worth of export licences for military equipment to Israel.
Middle East Eye via Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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