Germany imposes Israel arms embargo after Netanyahu Gaza statement
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced that Germany would no longer authorise exports of military goods that could be used in Gaza, following Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to take over all of Gaza, which was approved by Israel’s security cabinet on 8 August.
Merz said that while Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas, the Israeli security cabinet’s commitment to a new military initiative in Gaza made it unclear how that goal would be achieved.
Germany is not the only European Union Member State to have imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel. In November 2024, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld a Court of Appeal ruling that the Dutch state must cease exports of F-35 parts to Israel. In July a Brussels court ordered Flemish authorities to halt the transit of defence-related equipment to Israel through the port of Antwerp.
The UK government has also cancelled some arms export licences for Israel, while the Spanish government says it has ceased exporting arms to – but not importing arms from – Israel.
However, given that Germany is the second largest supplier of arms to Israel after the US – with exports with an estimated value of $380 million in 2023 – Merz’s announcement could potentially significantly affect Israel’s fight in Gaza.
A spokesperson for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy said the government grants arms export licences on a case-by-case basis and doesn’t provide information on individual decisions.
Asked to comment on Germany’s decision, the Israeli embassy in Berlin referenced an interview given by its ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, with Welt, in which he said, ‘Did this decision bring the hostages back home or bring them any closer? Did this decision actually bring a ceasefire any closer? The answer to that is no.’
Prosor added that he feared other countries would see Germany’s move as a precedent for exerting pressure on Israel around its dealings with Hamas.
