German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this afternoon that Germany will no longer supply Israel with arms that might be used in the Gaza Strip. This is a drastic measure by a country that had been Israel’s main ally in Europe until now, and helped torpedo many initiatives that sought to impose sanctions on Israel. Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier, providing about 30% of Israel’s defense imports.
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Merz justified the move by the Israeli cabinet’s decision last night to expand the war in Gaza. He said that it is “difficult to see” how the decision advances the release of the hostages or the defeat of Hamas. Therefore, Merz announced, “The German government will immediately stop exporting weapons that could be used in Gaza until further notice.”
The pressure on the German government to impose sanctions on Israel has increased sharply in recent weeks, following the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, images of famine, and the fact that Israel has not acted decisively to improve the situation, as it promised the EU last month. The Social Democratic partners of the CDU/CSU party led by Chancellor Merz also demanded to join the European Commission’s initiative to suspend Israeli companies from accessing the Horizon resear4ch and innovation program and to impose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers. A meeting held on Wednesday by the German cabinet decided to “wait and see”, but the cabinet’s move last night has altered the picture.
The military equipment that Germany supplies to Israel includes submarines and naval vessels, as well as shells, tank engines, light and heavy weapons and more.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on August 8, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
