Germany suspends arms supplies to Israel over Gaza

Germany has suspended arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet’s approval of a plan to occupy the Palestinian enclave’s capital.

The Israeli prime minister’s office announced the plan as part of a broader push to disarm Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and return hostages home. Just hours earlier, Netanyahu said that he was aiming to gain full military control of the enclave. The move has been criticized as potentially putting Israeli hostages in Gaza in danger.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed that while Berlin supports the Jewish state’s struggle “against Hamas’ terror” and prioritizes the return of Israeli hostages, it remains unclear how the new military push will achieve those goals.

“Under these circumstances, the German Government will, until further notice, authorize no military equipment exports that can be used in the Gaza Strip,” he said in a statement on the Federal Government website on Friday.

He added that Berlin is “profoundly concerned” about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and stressed that amid Israel’s new offensive, it now bears an even greater responsibility to ensure Palestinian civilians receive humanitarian aid.

The UN has increasingly warned of a dire food situation in the enclave and has accused the Jewish state of obstructing the flow of humanitarian supplies.

The Israeli prime minister’s office has said that Netanyahu called the German leader and expressed “disappointment with Merz’s decision to embargo arms to Israel.”

“Instead of supporting Israel’s just war against Hamas,” Berlin is “rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel,” the office said in a statement on X on Friday.

The militant group attacked the Jewish state in 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captives back to Gaza.

The death toll from Israel’s subsequent military operation has now surpassed 61,000 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry recently reported.While halting arms exports to Israel over fears of civilian harm in Gaza, Merz has pushed for increased military aid to Kiev in the Ukraine conflict—a stance criticized by some in his own party and viewed by Russia as prolonging the hostilities.